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the College of Communications at Penn State.
Dean: Douglas A. Anderson
Editor, Layout: Steve Sampsell
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All items relating to the College and its faculty, staff, students
and alumni will be considered for publication.
All correspondence should be directed to:
The Communicator
College of Communications
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302 James Building
University Park, PA 16801-3867
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity
and the diversity of its workforce. U.Ed. COM 11-45

57

ON THE COVER: A state-of-the-art television studio has enabled
students such as (left to right) Kelly Rohrer, Christopher Hush
and Jamie Stover to produce the “Centre County Report” and
other programs in quality facilities. (Photo by John Beale)

I

Don Davis—energetic, straightforward,
firm, focused, precise, visionary and, to
borrow the perfect descriptor from his
lexicon, authentic—came by those traits
naturally. His father, Donald W. Davis
Sr., who founded the advertising program at Penn State in 1936 and who
taught here until his death in June
1959, long ago instilled in his students
the importance of ethical decision making.
Don invested strategically in our
College. He backed up his support with active
involvement and wonderfully on-target ideas, literally until his death.

was stunned—and shaken—one day
early in August when I hung up the
telephone after talking with Don
Davis, a 1942 journalism graduate.
He had called my office and when I
got on the phone, he said, matter-of-factly, that he had been at Massachusetts
General Hospital for a week; that he had
taken three chemotherapy treatments;
that he was in a positive frame of mind;
that he was surrounded by his treasured
family; and that he was calling some
friends to tell them that he possibly was facing the
end of his life.
It was classic Don. He was one week into this
curve that life had
thrown him. He was
simultaneously at peace,
positive in his
thoughts—and realistic
in his assessment. He
was on the telephone, at
age 89, with a crystalclear voice and cogent thoughts, and he was framing sentences with perfect organization and syntax.
A little more than a month after that conversation, Don died. (See story on pages 57-58.)
Don was successful beyond imagination, yet
always able to maintain his equilibrium with
astounding focus under the most difficult of circumstances.
He often recalled—with great fondness—his days
at Penn State and his work on the independent
student newspaper, the Collegian. And as the family patriarch, he took great pride in the subsequent
generations of Davis family members who attended the university.
I was, and still am, in awe of his accomplishments. But, most of all, I always admired Don for
the person he was—for the values he held and
from which he never wavered.
I admired his intellect; his unmatched ability to
crystallize thoughts, often on the spur of the
moment; his ability to size up situations and act
accordingly; his ability to inspire and motivate
those around him; his loyalty; and his sense of
humor.
Don leaves a marvelous legacy in our College,
one that will extend forever.

From the Dean

Don was our beacon, our friend, our supporter.
He gave us our moral compass. He personified the
leadership characteristics he identified for our students in a May 2001 commencement address. He
was the embodiment of creativity, integrity, good
judgment, competence, consistency, courage, good
health (mental, emotional, physical), authenticity,
and passion.
One cannot walk the hallways of our building
without noticing the Donald W. Davis Advertising
Lab; without hearing about the Donald W. Davis
Student Chapter of the American Advertising
Federation; without seeing posters about the
Donald W. Davis Symposium in Advertising
Ethics; without hearing from the Donald W. Davis
Professor of Ethics, Patrick Parsons; or without an
awareness of his primary legacy: The Donald W.
Davis Program in Ethical Leadership.
Don was an extraordinary man, and all of us
who knew him are the better for it.

3

CARNEGIE CLOSE-UP

Studio Sets Stag

Students who produce the weekly “Centre County Report” include (left to right) Kelly Rohrer, Christopher Hush and Jamie Stover. (Photo by John Beale)

hristopher Hush and his classmates
were told they would be working in
a brand-new facility during the fall
semester, a high-definition, state-ofthe art operation that would include a control room, studio, robotic cameras and
work stations just a few steps away from the
set itself.
They envisioned the space—some 3,050
square feet, including glass-walled offices
for faculty members on the perimeter of
the newsroom that would allow efficient
interaction with students—but it was not
until they moved in and started work that
they really appreciated what they had.
“One of the biggest things it did was
motivate us,” Hush said. “We had this
sense of pride and an urgency to do our
best because we were the first class lucky
enough to use the facility.”
5

Carnegie Close-Up

ge for Success

Carnegie News

The television studio—used exclusively for production were always trying to add another layer—and we had the
of the “Centre County Report,” the weekly half-hour
capabilities to do whatever they wanted.”
news program that airs on Campus Cable and throughDan Devlin Design Group designed the studio set at
out Pennsylvania and parts of New York on WPSU-TV,
Innovation Park that was installed by Atreus Works.
and other student-produced programs—was one of the
Also, VDO Design and Animation provided the graphmost visible of recent upgrades designed to enhance
ic package and Stephen Arnold Music provided the
hands-on opportunities for students in the College of
music. Those companies often work with network affiliCommunications. When it became operational, comates, so the quality of the resources available to students
munications students had access to two dedicated TV
was clear.
studios on the University Park campus.
It was not just the studio that enhanced the students’
Along with the addition of the HD studio, the
efforts. Some important software upgrades enabled
College also crafted agreeHush and his classmates to
ments that enabled its stube more efficient as well.
Episodes of “Centre County Report”
dents, for the first time, to
For example, communiproduce live coverage origications
students working
and other samples of student-produced
nating from other locaon the television news proTV, radio and multimedia efforts
tions on campus. Students
gram have utilized the
can be found at
were able to contribute
industry standard ENPS
reports on air and online
system for years but this
psucommedia.com online.
from Beaver Stadium and
past fall they had remote
the Trading Room
access to the system, and
through partnerships with Intercollegiate Athletics and
to others working on the show from week to week.
the Smeal College of Business, respectively.
“That remote desktop access allowed us to work on
Thor Wasbotten, assistant dean for student media
things wherever we were and interact so much more
and online operations, was pleased students could “ben- efficiently,” Hush said. “Plus, we really felt like a team.
efit from the most professional look of any university
“I was lucky to be in the last rotation and work as an
production facility in the nation,” but he was even hapanchor on the shows at the end of the semester when
pier about the students’ response to the space.
they started to get even more polished, but the whole
“Oh, they were excited because the facility was as
semester was the result of everyone working together.
good as, or better than, the newsrooms where they
That’s probably the most rewarding thing about the
interned, and when their parents or industry contacts
class. If you look at what we did from week to week you
saw their work the professional quality was obvious,”
can see the improvement.”
Wasbotten said. “Their dedication was evident in the
Ironically, some decidedly low-tech moments top
stories they produced and how they presented those sto- Wasbotten’s list of highlights from the inaugural semesries to the audience.”
ter in the HD studio and working with improved
Because the studio was larger than the previous sturemote capabilities. On election night in November,
dio used for the COMM 480 Television News, the
when the students had planned an hour of coverage
upper-division class that produces “Centre County
focusing on Centre County and Pennsylvania races,
Report” each semester, enrollment was doubled from
some technical glitches hampered remote reports.
10 students to 20.
So, students phoned in their reports and their counThe facility also allowed students to produce “CCR”
terparts in the studio adapted. When they wrapped up
updates and webcasts online. And nearly every week—as their coverage—which stretched to 90 quality minutes—
they explored the capabilities of the facility while focusWasbotten was pleased.
ing their own determination and enthusiasm—the stu“We tried a lot of things that were new during the
dents tried something different with a broadcast or
semester, things that challenged the students, and they
improved what they had done the week before.
almost always made things work,” he said. “In that case,
“The students really drove what happened during the they overcame some troubles and produced a good
semester,” Wasbotten said. “They knew it was a hard
show. That’s real-life experience.”
class and my expectations were high, but once they
A combination of academic principles and that expeaccepted that they kept raising the bar themselves.
rience make the class valuable, and discussions about
Every week they wanted to do something different.
making stories fair, including appropriate nuances when
“Whether it was a stand-up in a different part of the
reporting and thoughtful selection of graphics and
studio or using the graphics in a different manner, they
video were part of everything the “Centre County

6

Carnegie News
Members of COMM 480 Television News were the first to utilize the College’s new HD-capable television studio. (Photo by Curt Chandler)

Report” team attempted during its first semester in the
facility.
“We got beyond talking about my expectations or
their expectations and were talking about what the
viewer would want,” Wasbotten said. “Again, that’s
something that happens in TV newsrooms all the time,
so that’s another real-life experience.”
As the semester concluded, even Wasbotten’s high
standards were met.
“I did tell this group we had more students who started out not as strong as we would have liked and they
improved much more than students at that level had in
the past,” he said. “I think that was because of their work
ethic and their determination to improve, and working
in this new facility helped fuel their motivation.”
With that as the starting point, more students will
get the opportunity for additional success during the
spring semester.
First, the size of the class will be increased again—to
30—which will allow the television news students to
“stagger” their approach, according to Wasbotten—and
expand their offerings. That will include more online
updates and even a first-ever Spanish version of “CCR”

HD Channel, Sports Show Coming
The year 2011 will provide even more opportunities for
students in the College of Communications. First, an allHD channel of student work will be launched on
Campus Cable in the spring. That will provide an outlet
for “CCR” and a variety of other programs, including
student films.
Then, for the fall semester, the College plans to launch a
sports-specific, magazine-style show that will address
topical sports stories as well as research results from
communications students and the John Curley Center
for Sports Journalism.

because several students in the class are fluent in the
language.
“That’s just a complement to what we’ll do, though,”
Wasbotten said. “We’re committed to ‘CCR’ on TV as
the core of what we do and all students will work on
the show. But when we have talent we can use in a variety of manners and provide additional opportunities for
those students, we will always do that.”
G

7

Carnegie News

International Reporting Class Set for South Africa
The waterfront in Cape Town might be one destination for members of the international reporting class when they visit South Africa.

Scheduling a class at Penn State can
be as easy as an online search, followed by a few clicks of a mouse.
Sometimes it requires a bit
more—especially for a selective class
like COMM 498B International
Reporting.
So, after an submitting some
work samples and surviving an
interview, Lexi Belculfine, a junior
from Aliquippa, Pa., was justifiably
pleased when she learned that she
was one of 16 students selected for
the class this spring.
“The first person I called was my
mom,” Belculfine, a journalism major
with an English minor, said. “She was
happy—she has to be because she’s my
mom—but she was also a little worried, and she has to be that way, too.”

Belculfine and her classmates will
spend the start of the spring semester working with Tony Barbieri, the
Foster Professor of Writing and
Editing, preparing for a weeklong
trip to South Africa during spring
break.
This marks the third consecutive
year the international reporting
course has been offered, and the
third different continent to which
Barbieri will lead students. In 2009,
the destination was Mexico and last
year the class worked in China.
“There were several reasons for
choosing South Africa,” Barbieri
said. “First and foremost there are
great stories there. It is the most
important country in sub-Saharan
Africa and it is now nearly 15 years

8

since it began its transformation
from an apartheid regime to full
democracy.
“Its economy is the strongest in
Africa. It just hosted the World
Cup. Some of the problems there
are quite similar to those we face in
the United States, immigration for
example, while others are not, such
as widespread HIV infection.”
No matter the destination,
Barbieri, the former Baltimore Sun
managing editor who also worked as
a foreign correspondent in Moscow
and Tokyo, invariably maintains the
the professional-level class leads to a
working spring break experience.
He wants students to enjoy themselves, but never at the expense of
getting the story.

Africa and professor of women’s
studies, and Rob Crane, a professor of geography who regularly
takes students to South Africa.
“Also, we get essential financial
support from Larry Foster, John
Curley and Helene Eckstein,”
Barbieri said.
Preparation for the class actually started late in the fall semester,
when Baderoon met with students and talked about what to
expect in South Africa.
In the weeks leading up to the
trip, students will conduct general
research on potential story ideas.
While there, they will complete
interviews and research for generally long-form stories that will be
published once they return. At
the same time, they will file regular online blogs, shorter stories
and updates while on location.
“It’s going to be great to combine what we’ve learned in classes
and at the Collegian and put those
skills to work in another country,
an unfamiliar setting,” Belculfine
said.
G

UDC Conference
Draws Big Turnout
A four-day conference featuring national
and international communications
activists and scholars addressing
“Democratic Communications, Equal
Rights & Global Justice” attracted participants from across the country to campus in mid-October.
Twenty-eight panel discussions were
conducted during the four-day conference. Focus areas for the sessions
included: communication regulation and
deregulation; advertising, marketing and
consumption; secondary music industries; and critical approaches to television.
College of Communications associate
professors Ronald Bettig and Jeanne
Hall, both members of the Department of
Film-Video and Media Studies, coordinated and organized the event.
The conference also featured Robert
W. McChesney as the keynote speaker.
McChesney, the Gutgsell Endowed
Professor at the University of Illinois, is
the co-founder and president of the
organization “Media Matters.” He has
authored, co-authored or edited 17
books on media criticism.
The Union for Democratic
Communications is an organization of
communication researchers, journalists,
media producers, policy analysts, academics and activists dedicated to:
T critical study of the communications
establishment;
T production and distribution of democratically controlled and produced
media;
T fostering alternative, oppositional,
independent and experimental production; and
T development of democratic communications systems locally, regionally and
internationally.
Penn State last played host to the
UDC conference in 2002.
G

Carnegie News

“That’s pretty much how I’m
looking at it,” Belculfine said.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would not have been
able for me if I were not at Penn
State, but it’s clearly a business
trip.”
Among the 16 students making the trip, several work at The
Daily Collegian and eight have a
primarily print journalism background. Five are broadcast journalism majors and two are focusing on photojournalism or visual
communications. One student
brings multimedia expertise to
the group.
Fellow faculty members Russ
Eshleman, a senior lecturer and
associate head of the Department
of Journalism, and Marea
Mannion, a senior lecturer in the
department, will accompany
Barbieri and the students on the
trip.
In addition, the contingent has
received extensive planning and
preparation support from Gabeba
Baderoon, a native of South

Carnegie News

Class in Israel Provides One-of-a-Kind Opportunity

A first-of-its-kind communications
the international travel guide
advising office (psr4@psu.edu).
class at Penn State—a six-week study
Lonely Planet. The guide emphaMore information may be found at
abroad program that allows students sizes Tel Aviv as a city that “reveals
http://global.psu.edu/ea online.
to gather a unique perspective on
itself as a truly diverse 21st-century
Prior to his arrival at Penn State,
Israeli culture and media—will begin Mediterranean hub” and “is also
Schejter spent a decade holding
this summer.
the greenhouse for Israel’s growing
senior executive positions in Israel’s
The class, COMM 499 Media,
art, film and music scenes.”
telecommunications arena, includCulture and Society in Israel, will
Only 16 students will be selected
ing chief of staff and senior adviser
be led by Amit Schejter, an associate for the program, and they will earn
to two secretaries of education and
professor in the College of
six credits—equal to two courses—
culture, general counsel for Israeli
Communications who has
public broadcasting and
been a faculty member at
vice president of Israel's
“Participants in the
the University since 2004.
largest mobile operator.
Students selected for the
In addition, he served
program will get a multiintensive program will take
on and chaired a variety of
faceted view of Israel.
a six-week course examining
public committees, counIsrael is one of the few
the Israeli media system and
seled media and telecomthe cultural context in
munication entities in
places in the world
which it operates and will
Israel and the Palestinian
where every major news
take part in a series of field
Authority and held the post
organization has a prestrips. Those include visits to
of assistant professor at Tel
leading media outlets and
Aviv University.
ence.”
cultural institutions as well
His books include “The
— Amit Schejter, Wonder
as minority media apparaPhone in the Land
associate professor of Miracles: Mobile
tuses serving Israeli-Arabs,
new immigrants and reliTelephony in Israel” (cogious communities.
authored with Akiba
In addition, students will meet
during the six-week program.
Cohen and Dafna Lemish,
with Israeli journalists, media makSchejter said the course and trip
Hampton Press, 2008), “... And
ers, law and policymakers, and forwould provide a strong starting
Communications for All: A Policy
eign journalists covering Israel.
point for students who have never
Agenda for A New Administration”
“Participants in the program will
traveled internationally before. At
(Lexington Books, 2009) and
get a multifaceted view of Israel.
the same time, he believes the pro“Muting Israeli Democracy: How
Israel is one of the few places in the gram would allow students who
Media and Cultural Policies
world where every major news
have been to Israel before the
Undermine Freedom of
organization has a presence,”
opportunity to earn credits while
Expression” (University of Illinois
Schejter said. “They’ll be able to
being exposed to aspects of Israel
Press, forthcoming).
gain an understanding of the multi- not typically experienced by the
At Penn State Schejter teaches
dimensional aspects of media and
average tourist and learning about
courses on telecommunications regcombine a comparative view of a
the country and its media systems.
ulation, media law, the media and
media system with an understandStudents selected for the program information industries, comparative
ing of the effects of international
will pay in-state tuition for their
and world media systems and
media on local culture.
credits. More details about the promedia activism. During the 2010-11
“In addition, students will have
gram, including information about
academic year, he is serving as a visthe opportunity to experience Israel applying, the cost and sources for
iting professor in Ben Gurion
and all its diverse cultural offerings
financial aid, may be obtained from University of the Negev and as a
first hand.”
Julia Law in the Office of Global
Mundus Journalism Scholar at the
Tel Aviv is a vibrant city that was
Programs at Penn State
universities of Amsterdam in
recently ranked third in the “top
(jbk14@psu.edu), or Penny Repsher
Holland and Hamburg in
ten cities for 2011” list compiled by
in the College of Communications’
Germany.
G

10

A documentary about suicide and its survivors produced by a team of senior
faculty members and students in the College of
Communications premiered during the fall semester and drew big crowds and
positive responses.
The initial screenings
were conducted in October
at Bellefonte High School
and in November at the
State Theatre in State
College. Each attracted
capacity crowds, and each
was followed by a questionand-answer session with
those involved in the production of the compelling
film.
The film, “Toward Daylight,”
focuses on suicide and survivorship
in Centre County. It was produced
for the Centre County Chapter of
the American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention.
“Toward Daylight” was directed
by Barbara Bird, an associate professor in the Department of FilmVideo and Media Studies; produced
by Andrea Seeley, who earned her
degree in film-video in 2006; and
Ken Campbell, a senior film-video
major, served as cinematographer.
Film-video alumni Brian Miller,
who earned his degree in 2009, and
Kenny Dodson, who graduated in
May, also assisted with the project.
“As I researched the issue in
Centre County, I was amazed by
the number of people touched by
suicide,” said Bird. “In making the
film, we also found a community of
people here who felt free to talk
about it.”
Susan Kennedy, who helped create the local suicide prevention

chapter and serves as a board member for the group, anxiously anticipated the film’s debut. She was
then justifiably excited after it was
screened.
“It’s just going to be a wonderful
resource for our organization,” said
Kennedy. “We’ve been lucky to benefit from such talented filmmakers
and to enjoy the support of the
College of Communications.”
For her group, the film provides
another resource to complement
existing programming. Local volunteers have staged annual fundraising walks for suicide prevention
programs for several years, and the
most recent Community Walk for
Centre County Out of the
Darkness raised about $38,000.
Suicide is never the final word
for those left behind. It alters lives
forever and crosses all human
boundaries. “Toward Daylight”
struggles to find the hope necessary
for the living to face, and then overcome, the pain and loss of a loved
one to suicide.
G

11

Pockrass Lecture
to Feature Scholar
from Florida State
Arthur A. Raney, a leading scholar
of media entertainment, will present the spring 2011 Robert M.
Pockrass Memorial Lecture at
7 p.m. April 4, in Foster
Auditorium of Paterno Library.
His free public lecture, titled
“The Ongoing Morality Play: Media
Entertainment and Our Sense of
Right and Wrong,” is sponsored by
the College of Communications
and University Libraries.
Raney is an associate professor
and director of doctoral studies in
the School of Communication at
Florida State University. His
research examines the psychological processes associated with
enjoying media entertainment, ultimately trying to better answer the
question “How and why do we
enjoy what we enjoy?”
He examines the role that moral
judgment plays in the enjoyment of
dramatic, violent, sports and interactive content.
He is the lead editor of
Handbook of Sports and Media.
His work has been published in
many entertainment and mediaeffects anthologies, as well as
Journal of Communication, Media
Psychology, Communication
Theory, and Journal of
Broadcasting & Electronic Media.
The Pockrass Lecture was
named after the late Professor
Robert M. Pockrass, a member of
Penn State’s journalism faculty
from 1948 to 1977. Pockrass, who
specialized in public opinion and
popular culture, served as the
graduate officer and taught radio
news writing for the School of
Journalism, which later became
the College of Communications. G

Carnegie News

Faculty-, Student-Produced Film
Draws Praise, Strong Response

Carnegie News

Foster Conference Visitors Offer Advice, Insights
Two award-winning journalists
shared advice and compelling stories with students during the Foster
Conference of Distinguished
Writers.
Diana K. Sugg, a Pulitzer Prize
winner, and Ken Armstrong, a fourtime finalist for that iconic award
who has won numerous honors for
his work, delivered free public lectures during the fall 2010 session.
Armstrong, a staff reporter at The
Seattle Times and also a Pulitzer
Prize winner, presented the first lecture. He has written investigative
stories for more than 20 years, producing consistently remarkable work
of depth and impact.
His subjects have ranged from
failures in the criminal justice system to illegally sealed court records,
from Orwellian conditions in the
Postal Service to a community’s
complicity in protecting wayward
athletes. Armstrong previously
worked at the Chicago Tribune,
where his reporting shaped national
debate on the death penalty.
He said all good writing relies
first on good reporting, and he told
students that the sports adage about
keeping your eye on the ball does
not apply to journalism.
“For reporters, the opposite
holds true,” he said. “If 15 reporters
are looking this way and you’re the
16th reporter, try looking that way.
You’ll be surprised what you see.”
Sugg, formerly a medical reporter
for The Sun in Baltimore, presented
the concluding lecture. She won a
Pulizter Prize for beat reporting in
2003 for a series of articles ranging
from stillbirths and sepsis to the
controversial practice of hospitals
allowing families to comfort loved
ones in emergency rooms.
That series—her approach to the
story and its aftermath—was the subject of much of her talk. She had

Award-winning journalists Diana K. Sugg (top photo) and Ken Armstrong met with students
during a reception and then attracted standing-room-only crowds for their lectures.
(Photos by John Beale)

spent months with the family of R.J.
Voight as he battled pediatric cancer.
Her ability to connect with Voight’s
family and artfully convert what she
experienced into compelling stories
resonated with students.
Sugg stressed that integrity was
an important part of that story—and
all stories she writes—because she
emerses herself into her work. She

12

said Voight’s mother allowed her to
follow the family after Sugg lobbied
for a brief meeting with her.
Not until after R.J. died did Sugg
discover why his mother Michelle
allowed her to shadow them and
write their story. “She said, ‘It was
because I looked into your eyes and
decided I could trust you,’” Sugg
recalled.
G

WONDERFUL WELCOME
An annual welcome back session for communications students, coordinated by the
Office of Multicultural Affairs and hosted by Assistant Dean Joseph Selden (left), provided free Berkey Creamery ice cream to hundreds of students in September.

Forthright Alums Share Experience,
Make Davis Symposium Successful
Three recent College of
Communications alumni working
in advertising brought their real
world experiences to the annual
Davis Symposium in Advertising
Ethics during the fall semester.
In a session titled “The Real
World Advertising: What You Need
to Know (But Probably Don’t)
About Your First Job,” the symposium took a turn from its usual lineup of industry CEOs and issuesrelated topics to present a session
specifically for students planning to
enter the job market.
Alumni who participated in the
session were:
T Amanda Dornish (’06), a communications planning supervisor
for Zenith GPE who works with
Publicis, specializing in tween- and
teen-targeted businesses;
T Kristin Hoglund (’10), an assistant communications planner for

Zenith GPE who conducts research
and helps service client accounts;
and
T Aaron Reinitz (’06), an account
supervisor for VivaKi, where his
work involves media technology
consulting with online display space
for national and global brands.
All three built their careers
beginning as active undergraduates
and then adding internships and
other experiences. As they discussed
their developing career paths with a
capacity crowd of students at the
HUB-Robeson Center Auditorium,
what they had done and planned to
do resonated with the audience.
“It was a great session,” said
Patrick Parsons, the Don Davis
Professor of Ethics who coordinated
the symposium. “Our alumni had
great advice and experience to share.
It’s the type of session we should try
to repeat in the future.”
G

13

G The John Curley Center for
Sports Journalism conducted its
first two online chats during the fall
semester.
The first chat, “Who Should be
in the Press Box and Why? Issues
in Credentialing Bloggers and
Journalists,” included panelists
Michael Signora of the NFL, Jerry
Micco of the Pittsburgh PostGazette, Cheryl Coward of
Hoopfeed.com and Malcolm
Moran, the Knight Chair in Sports
Journalism and Society and director of the Curley Center.
The second chat, “The
Intersection Between Fantasy
Sports and Sports Coverage:
Implications for Journalists and
Predictions for Sports Media
Organizations,” included Joe Dolan
of fantasyguru.com, Nate Ravitz of
ESPN.com, Alexandre Simon of
the National Hockey League and
Moran.
Associate Dean Marie Hardin,
an associate professor and associate director of the Curley Center,
moderated both sessions.
Archives of the chats may be
found at the “Live Chats” link of
http://comm.psu.edu/sports online.
G Both traditional and online
educational approaches have been
altered in a positive manner for the
College of Communications during
the past year. Specifically, the number of Friday course offerings as
part of a traditional Monday,
Wednesday, Friday schedule have
increased with about 20 percent of
course offereings now providing
that option. Also, there has been a
300 percent increase in course
enrollment and a 250 percent
increase in course offerings
through the World Campus. Those
online courses help with student
educational challenges that include:
economic hardship, inflexible work
schedules, disability and more.

Carnegie News

Notes, Numbers

A Major Influence
FACULTY/STAFF CLOSE-UP

O

Professor Ann Marie Major stays busy teaching, researching and
completing volunteer shifts as an EMT based in State College

By Valerie Faustine (’11)

band, Erwin, was sick and
at one point they were taking trips to the emergency
ne College of Communications
room once a month. Then
faculty member is using the
he collapsed from sepsis.
time when she’s not teaching or
“I remember not knowresearching to help save lives.
ing
how to help and realizAnn Marie Major, associate professor
ing the most recent emerin the Department of Advertising/Public
gency training I had was a
Relations and faculty adviser to the
CPR class from high
Lawrence G. Foster Penn State Chapter
school,” said Major.
of the Public Relations Student Society of
“That’s when I knew I
America, is also a volunteer emergency
needed to do something to
medical technician at Centre LifeLink.
be more prepared in an
She volunteered more than 650 hours
emergency; fortunately,
and responded to more than 120 ambuthat is not our situation
lance calls in 2010.
anymore.”
“The schedule is definitely not easy,”
Major has quickly
said Major. “But I have always been interbecome a mentor to newer
ested in health and medicine and now I
members of Centre
have the expertise I didn’t previously have
LifeLink and she is currentin patient care and how to respond in
ly working on being proemergency situations.”
moted to field-training offiShe typically works nights on call for
cer. As a field-training offieither six- or 12-hour shifts. On football
cer she will be training and
weekend Fridays, she can be found
evaluating incoming EMTs,
parked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with the
a natural role considering
ambulance on College Avenue in downher 25 years of teaching
town State College to be closer to comexperience.
munity members needing assistance—
“Whether Ann is acting
often for alcohol overdoses.
as an EMT, an adviser or
“Ann’s willingness to go out into the
she’s teaching in the classcold, wet, dark environment that we work Ann Marie Major has been a faculty member at Penn State since
room, her multiple experiin to treat people who sometimes do not 1995. (Photo by Mark Selders)
ences all interact and supwant us to be there, when she has all the
port
each
other
and
she
takes
each
role
very seriously,” said
skills, knowledge and experience to be doing anything else in a
Robert
Baukus,
head
of
the
Department
of Advertising/Public
warm and dry environment is truly humbling,” said Kent
Relations.
“She
is
always
making
time
for
her students and is a
Knable, Centre LifeLink EMS Chief. “It is because of people
like Ann, who provide these types of services to the community very giving person, which is reflected in her desire to become
and ask for nothing back, that Happy Valley is a special place to an EMT.”
Major, who has been with the College of Communications
live.”
since 1995, has also brought her academic work with Centre
One factor that drove Major’s decision to get certified was a
LifeLink, a non-profit emergency medical service organization,
personal and practical reason. More than a year ago her hus-

14

15

Faculty/Staff Close-Up

into her public relations campaign
classes. Her students are in charge of
working on a public relations program for the organization to raise
awareness about what the emergency
response teams do in the community.
“We are focusing on raising
awareness in the community, especially among students, about what
services Centre LifeLink provides,”
said Major. “We are also trying to
show students that we are there to
help and that is all we are concerned
with.”
Major is also a member of the
Centre LifeLink public affairs committee. This position has facilitated
communication between her students and Centre LifeLink because
she is able to be the professor as well
as the client contact, meaning there
is less pressure on the client and
everyone saves time.
“The other EMTs tease me
because at 11 p.m. on Friday nights
my students are texting me asking
questions about their assignments
In 2010, Major volunteered some 650 hours working in ambulances in State College.
that are due on ANGEL at midsix- to 12-hour shifts. The training hours were completnight,” said Major. “Sometimes my students even recoged under constant supervision and a field-training offinize me while the ambulance is parked downtown and
cer evaluated her performance at the end of every shift.
walk up to chat. I have a lot of fun with it and I think
Following her 600 hours as a trainee, she was promy students do, too.”
moted to “EMT attendant.”
Her research, which focuses on public communica“The truth is, at some point in our lives we will all
tion and response to natural disasters and emergencies
be in need of the services of an EMT and I am thankful
as well as alcohol overdose and alcohol consumption
to Ann and anyone who goes through the enormous
trends, has also been enhanced by her experience as an
efforts to get certified,” said Baukus. “I respect her as a
EMT. As a long-term goal, Major would like to continue
colleague and have enjoyed working with her through
to work in the field at night studying the alcohol culthe years.”
ture on campus and trying to understand what is hapAdditional classes and qualifications Major has
pening.
achieved include taking a disaster response training
“I am not just an academic anymore,” said Major. “I
course, The American Heart Association's Advanced
am collecting data on the front lines; I am in the field
Cardiac Life Support course and three FEMA National
talking to students one-on-one in their world.”
Incident Management System courses. She is currently
She began her training with a 152-hour EMT Basic
enrolled in a paramedic training course.
course from September 2009 to December 2009. The
“Ann is a great EMT who has challenged Centre
course was a blend of book learning and practical expeLifeLink over the last several months not only to
rience that concluded with a state test from the
improve our service but to take a look at ourselves and
Pennsylvania Department of Health.
remember why we got into this field,” said Knable.
During the spring of 2010, when Major was on sab“Give me a dozen more Ann Majors and I think we
batical, she spent 600 hours working on ambulances in
could solve the world’s problems.”
G

Faculty/Staff News

Professor Richard Taylor talks to members of the Advisory Committee for State Informatization in China about the government’s upcoming
five-year plan—specifically as it relates to information and telecommunications technology.

Faculty Member Addresses Chinese Leaders

When the Chinese government
wanted an expert to address information and telecommunications
technology as it started crafting its
next five-year plan, it reached out to
just one person—a College of
Communications faculty member.
Richard Taylor, the Palmer
Chair of Telecommunications
Studies and Law who serves as codirector of the Institute for
Information Policy, was the only
invited speaker to a planning session organized by the Advisory
Committee for State
Informatization (ASIC) this past
summer.
He addressed 60 government
experts and senior scholars, making
a presentation about the new U.S.
National Broadband Plan and
answering questions during a session that lasted more than three
hours.
“They were very interested in the
U.S. plan as they made their own
plans,” Taylor said. “But we discussed a wide range of related topics.”

Taylor’s interaction happened at
the highest-possible level. A day
after the group meeting, he was
invited to address senior staff members of the Internet Society of
China, the internal research group
for the Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology.
“It’s a rare event for an American
scholar to be invited for this kind of
involvement,” Taylor said. “And it
appears it might evolve into a continuing relationship.”
Taylor has directed major
research projects and published
widely on the implications of investment in information technology on
economic development in the AsiaPacific region. He has some 35 years
of experience in the telecommunications field. His scholarly work has
focused on the impact of investment in information technologies.
Taylor is active nationally and
internationally in research, publishing and consulting. In January
2009, he served as co-chair of the
annual convention of Pacific
Telecommunications Conference.

16

The event attracted more than
1,000 attendees—a mix of company
officials, consultants, lawyers and
scholars. Workshops, speakers, panels and lectures during the conference touched on a wide variety of
topics from on overall theme of
"Collaborating for Change."
He has been a speaker at academic, governmental, legal and corporate meetings in the telecommunications, cable television, broadcasting
and publishing industries, as well as
a consultant to non-profit groups
including regulators, educators and
librarians.
He has organized and chaired a
number of major conferences on
topics relating to information technology and development and electronic commerce.
In 2002, he was honored by
appointment as an IBM Faculty
Partner for his work in the area of
information metrics.
He is co-author of the book,
“Technology Parks of the Asia Pacific:
Lessons for the Regional Digital
Divide” (M.E. Sharpe 2003).
G

Six faculty members from the College of Communications
were awarded support for research projects from the 201011 President’s Fund for Research.
To qualify for the grants, faculty members must integrate undergraduate students in their research—providing necessary support and mentoring opportunities for
the faculty members and valuable experience for the
students. As many as 16 communications students will
be involved in the work conducted by the faculty members.
Faculty recipients are:
T Denise Bortree, an assistant professor in the
Department of Advertising/Public Relations, who will
mentor undergraduate student Brenna Thorpe on a
project that looks at the corporate environmental
responsibility sections of Fortune 500 companies’ websites to identify the topics they are addressing and the
claims they are making about their impact on the environment. Thorpe will participate in the content analysis
and writing and will be the second author on the piece.
T Lyn Elliot, an associate professor in the
Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, who will
involve three undergraduate students in a service learning video to be used in fundraising and volunteer
recruitment for the Hundred Cat Foundation. The students will serve in key crew positions.
T Kevin Hagopian, a senior lecturer in the
Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, who will
hire a student to complete a specialized bibliography in
support of his book project, “Engaging Student
Entitlement in Higher Education.” The bibliography
will combine print and web sources in education, communications, psychology, sociology and culture.
T Michel Haigh, an assistant professor in the
Department of Advertising/Public Relations, will
involve five students in an experiment for her research
project, “Inoculating Against Social Media Messages.”
The students will learn about assigning students to conditions, learn about LimeSurvey, serve as a lab monitor/assistant during data collection and then help to

Denise
Bortree

Lyn
Elliot

Kevin
Hagopian

Michel
Haigh

Michelle
Rodino-Colocino

Mike
Schmierbach

edit the manuscript.
T Michelle Rodino-Colocino, an assistant professor
in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies,
who will mentor three to five undergraduates on her
project, “Communicating the Work Ethic of the
Second Gilded Age through Information
Technologies.” The students will be asked to find relevant contemporary and historical sources, including
promotional campaigns, and to write up and discuss
their findings.
T Mike Schmierbach, an assistant professor in the
Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, who will
involve one undergraduate student, Sean Brooks, who
will assist with stimulus and measurement development,
data collection, data entry and analysis on the project,
“Effects of Customization, Ad Integration and
Difficulty on Product Recall and Brand Attitudes.” G

Respected Faculty Member Celebrates 25 Years with University
Senior lecturer Susan Strohm, a
member of the Department of
Advertising/Public Relations, celebrated 25 years of service to Penn
State in mid-August.

Strohm, who serves as the honors
adviser for the College of
Communications, teaches advertising media planning and mass media
research methods. Her research

17

interests include media and social
conflict, health communication campaigns and ethics in advertising. She
has been a consultant on national
health education campaigns.
G

Faculty/Staff News

Faculty Members Earn President’s Fund Support

Faculty/Staff News

College Enjoys Record-Setting AEJMC Performance

College of Communications faculty
members and graduate students
presented a school-record 39 papers
during the annual conference of
the Association for Education in
Journalism and Mass
Communication.
The 39 papers by Penn State
researchers ranked fourth among all
institutions that had papers accepted for the 94th annual conference,
which was held in August in
Denver.
Sixteen faculty members and 24
graduate students contributed to
the research papers.
During the past decade, Penn
State communications researchers
have consistently finished in the
top-10 for the number of papers
presented at the AEJMC conference—and they have produced quality as well as quantity.
This year’s papers included six
award-winning efforts by faculty
and students. Top papers were:
T “The 2008 Presidential
Election, 2.0: A Content Analysis
of User-Generated Political

paper, Commission on the Status
of Women; and
T “Diffusion of Innovation or
Not? Both Cases of Direct t-DTV
Adoption With and Without
Payment” by Kyung Han You and
Hongjin Shim (Yonsei University),
top student paper, Media
Management and Economics
Division.
An analysis of research productivity published in the spring edition of Journalism & Mass
Communication Educator listed
Colleen Connolly-Ahern, an associate professor in the Department of
Advertising/Public Relations, as
one of the 35 most productive
paper presenters at the conference
between 1999 and 2008.
The AEJMC is the oldest and
largest alliance of journalism and
mass communication educators at
the college level. Its annual conference draws thousands of teachers
and researchers from around the
world. Several faculty members in
the College serve in the organization’s leadership ranks.
G

Davis, Elavsky Recognized with AEJMC Teaching Awards

Communication and Society
Division and the Graduate
Education Interest Group;
T Assistant Professor Michael
Elavsky, honored in both the Best
Practices in Teaching Critical
Thinking Competition and as a
GIFT Scholar (for a poster presentation with teaching tips); and
T graduate students Keunmin
Michael
Bae and Pamela Jo Brubaker, also
Elavsky
honored in the Best Practices in
Teaching Critical Thinking Competition.
The AEJMC is the oldest and largest alliance of
journalism and mass communication educators at the
college level.
G

Two Penn State College of
Communications faculty members
and two graduate students with
instructional duties received teaching awards at the annual conference of the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication in August.
The honors reflect the commitment to teaching at Penn State,
Dennis
and they were presented during
Davis
three separate sessions at the 94th
annual conference that was held in Denver.
Honorees were:
T Professor Dennis Davis, recipient of the
Distinguished Educator Award from the Mass

18

A College of Communications faculty member took his
interest in international environmental communications
to the Southern Hemisphere this past summer, spending
two weeks conducting interviews and gathering images of
archived newspapers in Argentina and Uruguay as he
studied a dispute that has produced national reaction in
both countries.
Lee Ahern, an assistant professor in the Department
of Advertising/Public Relations, found the experience interesting and productive.
“Spending time down there provided access
and perspectives that could not be gained from
afar,” Ahern said. “It was an invaluable trip that
produced important interviews and examples of
media for my research.”
Although it was virtually unreported in the
U.S. and international press, a major environmental dispute has been straining relations
between Argentina and Uruguay for the past five Lee
Ahern
years.
Following changes in forestry regulations in
Uruguay in the 1990s, major international corporations
from Spain and Finland announced plans to develop
some of the world’s largest (and most modern) pulp mills
on the banks of the Uruguay River in Fray Bentos, state
of Rio Negro, Uruguay. Although the Spanish firm
ENCE eventually gave up plans for a plant in the area, by
2006 the Finnish company Botnia received government
approval, and World Bank financial support, for a massive mill.
Environmental groups from Uruguay were not able to
ignite significant opposition to the plant, which most
Uruguayans view as evidence of economic development,
but the reaction across the Libertador General San
Martin Bridge in Gualeguaychú, Argentina, was decisive
and severe.
Beginning in 2004, the Asamblea Ciudadana
Ambiental de Gualeguaychú (Gualeguaychú Citizens
Environmental Assembly) released proclamations that
the mill would violate international environmental standards and demanded that plans for the mill be abandoned. The “asambleistas” organized a massive and committed protest movement that strained relations between
the two countries and escalated the dispute all the way to
the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
The most aggressive and effective form of protest
became the blockade of the bridge. After intermittent
blockades in 2004 and 2005 (generally aimed at periods,
such as holidays, that would cause the most problems for
travelers), the asamblea voted to make the blockade per-

manent in October 2006, and the bridge remained cut
off for more than three and a half years.
Argentina has a rich history of citizen protest, and
because of past abuses the government is reluctant to
repress them. Indeed, for political reasons, local politicians in Entre Rios province and national politicians in
Buenos Aires openly supported the demonstrations.
During this early period, the blockades and related
protests garnered the asamblea near-constant
local and national media coverage.
“From a communications perspective, the
strategy was an incredible success,” Ahern said.
“However, framing the issue in nationalistic, usversus-them terms worked to polarize opinion
across the Rio de la Plata and move the focus
from the environment to politics.”
Ahern is exploring the objectives of strategic
communicators involved in the dispute, the
resulting national media coverage in both countries, and the implications for public opinion
and understanding of the environmental issue.
As a case study in communications, the Botnia pulp mill
controversy illustrates the dangers of framing environmental issues in nationalistic terms.
With the assistance of Hector Villaverde (Universidad
Católica del Uruguay), Ahern interviewed two former
Uruguayan Ministers of the Environment, Uruguayan
environmental activists, the public relations officer for
Botnia during the crisis, and Rio Negro Governor Omar
Lafluf. He also collected systematic and purposeful samples covering the past five years from the leading national
newspapers in Uruguay (El Pais) and Argentina (Clarín).
One of the primary ways the print media set the agenda in these Latin American capitals was through their
display on ubiquitous street-corner kiosks. Therefore, the
content of the front page is of great importance.
Because electronic archives do not provide the context
of the page number, headline size, photo or surrounding
content, Ahern collected images of the actual publications, a dataset available only through archive research in
the region. These images were gathered at the Biblioteca
Nacional de la Republica Argentina in Buenos Aires and
through the electronic image and print archives at the
offices of El Pais, Plaza Cagancha, Montevideo.
Ahern and Villaverde will be transcribing, translating
and coding this data for qualitative and quantitative analysis in the months ahead, and expect the research to yield
key insights into the roles played by local strategic communicators, the national media and international politics in
the social construction of environmental issues.
G

19

Faculty/Staff News

Trip Provides Exposure, Insights for Faculty Member

Faculty/Staff News

Two Share Expertise During Broadband Summit

Pennsylvania state policy measure
Act 183, “Broadband Outreach and
Aggregation Fund and e-Fund
Implementation.”
Panelists included officials from
the state public utilities commission,
the Pennsylvania Telephone
Association and the Office of
Consumer Advocate.
In January 2010, the state was
Krishna
Jayakar
awarded a grant to collect broadband
mapping data, implement strategies
to address gaps and identify barriers to broadband
adoption.
The summit provided a free resource for a wide
range of people interested in broadband adaptation,
deployment and policy.
Conference topics were of interest to state and local
elected officials, education entities, hospitals and
health care providers, technology councils, non-profit
associations, law enforcement and many more.
The goals of the summit were to: create and foster a
sustainable dialogue among broadband providers, communities, consumers, and anchor institutions; determine how broadband challenges and opportunities
should be approached in a coordinated fashion; and
provide a shared learning opportunity to identify and
leverage broadband best practices across the state. G

Two Penn State faculty members
served alongside officials from the
Federal Communications
Commission and other national
experts during the 2010 Pennsylvania
Broadband Summit in September.
The College of Communications
professors shared their expertise during the two-day session in Camp
Hill. They were: Rob Frieden, the
Rob
Frieden
Pioneers Chair in Cable
Telecommunications, and Krishna
Jayakar, associate professor in the Department of
Telecommunications.
“We’re proud that our faculty members were called
on to support broadband policy making in our home
state,” said Anne Hoag, associate dean for undergraduate education and outreach in the College of
Communications, and faculty director for the summit.
“We have some of the most well-informed and respected experts on broadband matters in the world working
on campus, and working with constituents and organizations close to home and much farther away.”
Frieden, an expert on the net neutrality policy
debate, moderated a panel on the topic with officials
from the FCC, Clearwire and Verizon.
Jayakar, who has researched e-rate funding for education, coordinated a panel addressing the 2004

College Launches
YouTube Playlist

Several videos highlighting the
College of Communications, its
integrity-first approach, its programs, its students and its alumni
represent the first featured videos
on a communications-specific
playlist as part of the Penn State
YouTube Channel.
In the coming weeks videos that
provide samples of student work
and updates about the College will
be added to the playlist.
With YouTube, prospective students, current students, alumni,
friends, faculty and staff may access
videos about the College.
G

Find the College of Communications playlist at
http://www.youtube.com/user/PennState#p
20

Alumni, faculty and students from the College of
Communications discussed their experiences as entrepreneurs during a panel discussion in November on the
University Park campus.
The free public event, “Be Enterprising for Career
Success,” was part of Penn State’s celebration of Global
Entrepreneurship Week.
The session in Carnegie Building was moderated by
Anne Hoag, associate dean for undergraduate education and outreach in the College, and included time for
questions and answers from the audience. In addition
to her leadership role in the College, Hoag teaches and
conducts research in the areas of media entrepreneurship, media economics and telecommunications management.
Two communications alumni and three Penn State
students were among those included in the discussion.
The alumni were:
T Jason Brewer, founder and CEO of Brolik, an
award-winning interactive agency in Philadelphia specializing in brand marketing, video production and web
development; and
T Jarred Romesburg, president and owner of

Romesburg Media Group, a television production company and media-buying firm in Somerset.
Brewer, who graduated with a degree in film-video in
2006, co-founded Brolik in 2004, while he was a sophomore at Penn State.
Romesburg graduated with a telecommunications
degree in 1998 and has been honored with the
Emerging Professional Award and the Alumni
Achievement Award from the College of
Communications Alumni Society.
Linda Feltman, a senior business consultant with the
Penn State Small Business Development Center and an
adjunct faculty member in College since 2005, served
on the panel as well.
Student participants included: Alan deLevie, cofounder of Three Screen Games and co-undergraduate
director of the Penn State Entrepreneurs Network, an
organization designed to promote student-based entrepreneurship across campus; Ethan Hirsch, co-undergraduate director of the Penn State Entrepreneurs
Network; and Jessi Janiec, executive director at Happy
Valley Communications, Penn State’s only student-run
public relations firm.
G

After getting yyourself
ourself something special on
eBay,y,y, go to www
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www.giveto.psu.edu
.giveto.psu.edu and giv
givee
something special to PPenn
enn State.

Do It Online.

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Make
Mak
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gift to P
Penn
enn State.

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-AKE A
AKE A

21

Faculty/Staff News

Faculty, Alumni, Students Share Entrepreneurial Insights

Faculty/Staff News

NAACP Recognizes Office of Multicultural Affairs

The Office of Multicultural Affairs in the
College of Communications was honored as
“Most Outstanding Department” during an
awards program coordinated by the Penn State
Chapter of the NAACP at the end of the fall
semester.
“Being named for the NAACP Image Award
was certainly a ‘Wow!’ moment,” said Assistant
Dean Joseph Selden, who leads the Office of
Multicultural Affairs. “This recognition is shared Joseph
Selden
among the faculty, staff and students of the
College of Communications.”
NAACP chapter president Travis Salters, a junior
majoring in broadcast journalism and African-American
studies, said the Office of Multicultural Affairs edged
out nominees such as the University’s Multicultural
Resources Center and the Paul Robeson Cultural

Center for the inaugural award.
“It was named Most Outstanding
Department due to its dedication to showing
the necessity of diversity in the workforce,”
Salters said. “In addition, the College has
established unbelievable resources that help
students throughout their college careers.”
The Office of Multicultural Affairs’ mission
includes: fostering the growth of diverse students as young leaders and young scholars; providing cultural programming that promotes a
richer understanding and respectfulness of the
differences; and supporting a variety of student clubs
that allows students to get involved and work together.
“I am extremely happy that the College won the
award,” said Salters. “Everyone who tries to make this
campus a better place should be recognized.”
G

Three Staff Members Earn Deans’ Excellence Awards

Three Penn State staff
members were honored
with Deans’ Excellence
awards during an annual
recognition event.
Honorees were system
administrator Yu-Tai
Chung, staff assistant
Stephanie Girouard and
academic adviser Kyrie
Yu-Tai
Chung
Harding.
Chung helps maintain
computer and network systems in
the College of Communications.
He works with all PC-related devices
and laboratories, and assists with
web-based projects, creating and
maintaining applications that benefit faculty, staff and students. He
does that—and much more—in an
efficient, timely manner.
“Yu-Tai consistently goes well
above and beyond the call of duty,”
said Jeremy Wright, who supervises
systems administration. “His effective response time is terrific. He is
one of the most capable multitaskers I have ever come across. He
does not hesitate to take action and

Stephanie
Girouard

Kyrie
Harding

follow up until a situation is
resolved.”
Girouard works in the Office of
Internships and Career Services,
which serves more than 1,000 students seeking for-credit internships
and graduating seniors seeking jobs.
In that role, she administers the
day-to-day operation of an everbustling office. This past year she
also took a leadership role in the
development of COMM Career
Center, a comprehensive, online
source for communications-specific
job postings for students.
“Stephanie produced quality
work in an efficient manner for
those requesting information and

22

she does it with a pleasant
demeanor. Here efficiency
certainly helped us become a
stronger unit,” said Bob
Martin, assistant dean for
internships and career placement. “Frankly, we would
not have been able to launch
COMM Career Center had
it not been for Stephanie’s
perseverance and efforts.”
Harding handles her advising duties, working with dozens of
students on a weekly basis, and also
coordinates the peer mentor program. Under her leadership, the
peer mentor program added mentors and served more students than
ever during the past year.
“Kyrie provides exceptional customer service. She is sensitive to students’ needs and does her best to
help,” said Jamey Perry, assistant
dean for academic services. “She
has taken the peer mentor program
to a new level in one year.”
Each of the three staff honorees
received a Penn State clock and a
monetary award.
G

Faculty/Staff News

STRONG
SHOOTERS
Faculty and staff from the College of
Communications participated in the
annual Charity Stripe Challenge on
campus, an event that raises money
for the Centre County United Way
through a free throw-shooting contest. The College raised the most
money of any unit on campus in the
five-year-old event. Also, the College
raised more than $21,000 for the
annual United Way campaign and
again boasted the highest participation rate among academic units on
the University Park campus. Pictured
are (left to right): Bob Martin, Julie
Evak, Steve Manuel, Kathy
Mulberger, Steve Sampsell and
Dean Doug Anderson.

Post-Election Panel Draws Big Crowd

Three reporters and a campaign
official deeply involved in the
November election that determined
races for governor and the U.S.
Senate in Pennsylvania participated
in a panel discussion on the
University Park campus after the
election.
“It was interesting, and we had a
big crowd,” said Russ Eshleman,
senior lecturer and associate head
of the Department of Journalism.
“The panelists provided interesting
insights and the students in the
audience had strong questions
about what happened, why it happened and what it meant.”
The panelists included:
T John Micek, Harrisburg bureau
chief of the Morning Call in
Allentown and author of “Capitol
Ideas,” a blog for people who write
about or participate in Pennsylvania
government and politics;
T Laura Olson, a reporter for the
Harrisburg-based news and information service capitolwire.com who
also has covered the state budget

process and the controversy surrounding Marcellus shale drilling;
T James O’Toole, the politics editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
who (with the exception of the
1992 campaign) has covered every
national political convention and
presidential election since 1984;
and
T Kevin Harley, press secretary
for Republican candidate Tom
Corbett, who was elected governor.
Harley has worked on many
statewide campaigns, and took a
leave from his job at the attorney
general’s office to work on the campaign.
Eshleman, who teaches basic
reporting methods, opinion writing, news media ethics and in-depth
reporting, moderated the session.
Before coming to Penn State, he
was Harrisburg bureau chief and
state political writer for The
Philadelphia Inquirer. He covered
Pennsylvania governor and U.S.
Senate races throughout the 1980s
and 1990s.
G

23

Notes, Numbers
G Associate Dean Marie Hardin,
an associate professor and associate
director of the Curley Center, wrote
“New scandals, familiar principles,”
which appeared in The Philadelphia
Inquirer on Sept. 10, 2010.
G Associate professor John
Sanchez wrote “Native AmericanThemed Mascots: American Indians
are Human Beings ... Not Mascots
for Sports Teams” in The American
Mosaic: The American Indian
Experience (2010, Greenwood
Publishing Group)
G Professor Bob Richards was
admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court
bar and filed amicus curiae briefs in
two pending First Amendment
cases.
G Professor Ford Risley, head
of the Department of Journalism,
served on a panel about Civil Warera journalism at the American
Journalism Historians Association
convention.
G Carmen Frost and Tarynn
Herlocker joined the College as
administrative support coordinators.

Development News

Penn State Honors Curley as Volunteer of Year

P

enn State has recognized John Curley, an
honorary alumnus
and volunteer chair of the
College of
Communications campaign committee, as its
2010 Fundraising
Volunteer of the Year. The
award, which was presented to Curley on Sept. 24,
honors the leadership of
alumni and friends in
securing philanthropic
support for the University.
“For more than 20
years, John Curley has
proved that you don’t
have to be a graduate of
the University to be a dedicated Penn Stater,” said
John and Ann Curley have consistently given the College of Communications their time and treasure to
Peter G. Tombros, chair of support students, faculty members and programming. (Photo by John Beale)
For the Future: The
nearly 10 years.
National Council on Penn State
Campaign for Penn State Students.
He
helped
to
found
the
John
Philanthropy.
Curley now leads the
“Through his volunteer service and
Curley
Center
for
Sports
College’s
campaign
committee.
his own philanthropic leadership,
Journalism,
established
in
2003
and
With
his
wife,
Ann,
he is a memhe has helped the College of
named
in
his
honor
in
2006,
which
ber
of
the
Elm
Circle,
the
highest
Communications to become one of
explores
issues
and
trends
in
sports
level
of
recognition
that
Penn
State
the finest programs of its kind in
journalism
through
instruction,
outoffers
to
its
supporters.
The
couple,
America, and he continues to
reach, programming and research.
who make their home in Potomac,
inspire our students, our faculty,
“John
continues
to
help
both
our
Md.,
has endowed several underand our supporters with his dedicaCollege
and
the
University
as
a
graduate
scholarships and the John
tion and vision.”
whole
to
capitalize
on
their
strengths
and
Ann
Curley Professorship for
The first editor of USA Today and
and
make
important
connections
First
Amendment
Studies, and they
the former president, chairman and
with
the
wider
world,”
said
Dean
also
are
longtime
supporters
of
CEO of Gannett Co. Inc., Curley was
Doug
Anderson.
“We
are
extraordiPenn
State
Intercollegiate
Athletics
appointed to the College of
and other programs across the
Communications Board of Visitors in narily fortunate that a professional
of
John’s
caliber
and
standing
in
the
University.
1989, and he has continued to serve
world of journalism has chosen to
“John has set a powerful example
the College throughout the last two
share
his
expertise
and
experience
through
his generosity and leaderdecades.
with
our
students.
Through
his
servship,”
said
Penn State President
In 1999, the graduate of
ice
and
philanthropy,
he
has
also
Graham
Spanier.
“We are delighted
Dickinson College and Columbia
had
a
profound
impact
on
the
to
have
this
opportunity
to honor all
University was named an honorary
future
of
our
institution.”
that
he
has
done
for
Penn
State and
alumnus of Penn State for his
As
a
volunteer,
Curley
chaired
the
College
of
Communications,
achievements and service. Curley
the College’s Board of Visitors for
and we are deeply grateful that he
currently holds the position of dismore
than
a
decade,
and
he
served
continues
to serve his adopted alma
tinguished professional in residence
on
the
Grand
Destiny
campaign
mater
with
such enthusiasm and
and professor of journalism in the
executive
committee
and
the
grace.”
G
College, where he has taught for

24

A $200,000 gift from the estate of a owner of Marti French Village Real
Scholarship endowments.
passionate Penn State alumna has
Estate in Westport, Conn., before
The Trustee Matching
created a Trustee Scholarship in her retiring to Boca Raton, Fla., where
Scholarship Program at Penn State,
name.
she was active with the Music Guild created in 2002 by the Board of
The Marjorie Mousley French,
of Boca Raton and the Boca Bridge
Trustees, aims to ensure that a Penn
Class of ’48, Trustee
State education is
Scholarship was creatDuring the 2009-10 academic year, 85 communications accessible to qualified
ed with the gift,
students, regardless
students received support from Trustee Scholarships.
which has already
of their financial
been paid in full to
means.
the University. So, students from
and Ladies Luncheon Club. She
Under the program, the
the College of Communications
was also a supporter of The Youth
University matches approximately 5
will benefit from it this academic
Orchestra.
percent of the principal of each gift
year.
She died Aug. 10, 2009, at the
annually and combines those funds
Marjorie Mousley French, known age of 82. She was survived by two
with income from the endowment
to her friends as “Marti,” earned
sons, a daughter, six grandchildren
to effectively double the financial
her journalism degree at Penn State
and three great grandchildren.
impact of the scholarship.
in 1948. As an undergraduate, she
The scholarship created by her
A $50,000 gift payable over five
worked as photo editor of the Penn
estate is the 29th Trustee
years or less will establish a Trustee
State yearbook, La Vie. She was also Scholarship in the College of
Scholarship.
a devoted Penn State football fan, a
Communications. During the 2009Donors may designate their gift
passion she carried throughout her
10 academic year, 85 communicato any campus or college and may
life.
tions students received awards averspecify a major field of such as a
Marti crafted a long career as
aging $1,250 from existing Trustee
first preference.

Investing for the future
Even in challenging economic times, a Penn State degree remains
a sound investment—and so do the income-generating gift structures available to the University’s alumni and friends. Charitable
remainder trusts and charitable gift annuities can help you to protect the value of your assets while ensuring that new generations
of students have access to the same world-class education that was
the foundation of your own success.
To learn more about these opportunities, please contact:
Brian Casey
Gift Planning Officer
Office of Gift Planning
Toll-free: 888-800-9170
E-mail: bsc14@psu.edu
Web: www.giftplanning.psu.edu

A significant gift to Penn State will
create a state-of-the-art production
center in Rec Hall to provide handson experience for students pursuing
careers in sports broadcasting.
Richard and Susan Barry provided the gift for the Steve Jones
Student Sports Broadcasting
Complex—named for long-time
Penn State broadcaster and College
of Communications instructor Steve
Jones.
The gift is one of the largest in
the history of Penn State
Intercollegiate Athletics, and it continues the philanthropic leadership
of Rick and Sue Barry. Rick Barry
graduated from Penn State in 1980
with a bachelor’s degree in political
science, and his career in the financial industry has included posts at
Merrill Lynch and Robertson
Stephens Investment Management.
He retired earlier this year as the
managing member and portfolio
manager of Eastbourne Capital
Management, a California-based
investment firm he founded in
1999.
The San Rafael, Calif., couple is
among the University's most generous supporters, and their past commitments include gifts for the
Abram Nesbitt III Academic
Commons and the John R. Murphy
Student Services Center at Penn
State Wilkes-Barre, where Rick
began his Penn State education.
"We are excited to provide the
funds for what we feel is a very
important space both for athletics
and academics," said Rick Barry,
who first met Jones while both were
Penn State students. "To have the
complex named after someone that
I was so close to while at the
Wilkes-Barre campus and have
watched grow into a legend in Penn
State sports broadcasting history is a
thrill for me.

A significant gift has created the Steve Jones Student Sports Broadcasting Complex, which
will be housed in Rec Hall. Jones (inset) has served as the play-by-play voice for nearly
1,000 Penn State basketball and football games during his career.
(Photo by Greg Grieco)

“What Steve Jones has added to
the legacy of Penn State broadcasting throughout his professional
career, in addition to what he has
been able to pass on to the next
generation of broadcasters as an
instructor in the classroom, is the
essence of what this complex is all
about."
The Steve Jones Student
Broadcasting Complex will be
housed in historic Rec Hall, located
on the west side of Penn State's
campus, and it will comprise two
control rooms, an editing lab, an
HD viewing room and Rec Hall's
first dedicated media room.
“This project is a perfect match
for its namesake,” said Tim Curley,
Penn State director of athletics.
“Steve’s passion for his career as
well as his dedication to teach the
next generation of sports broadcasters and producers is unparalleled.
This facility will enable Steve’s legacy to live on in the students who
will learn there through these
hands-on experiences.”
“The Steve Jones Student Sports
Broadcasting Complex will be a
spectacular additional home for real
world experiences for students in
the College of Communications,”
said Dean Doug Anderson.

26

“We have scores of students
majoring in broadcast journalism,
along with dozens more who are
enrolled in our John Curley Center
for Sports Journalism, who are
interested in sports broadcasting or
production.
“The opportunities we are able
to offer our students have grown
immensely over the past decade, but
this facility will take us to a new
level because our students now will
be able to produce live sporting
events for a national audience. And
it is truly fitting that the students
will be able to gain fabulous experience in a facility the Barrys have
chosen to name for one of our most
energetic, respected and valuable
instructors.”
A 1980 Penn State graduate with
a degree in speech communication
and broadcasting, Jones began
doing radio play-by-play of Nittany
Lion basketball games during his
undergraduate career. He became
the voice of the men’s basketball
team in 1982 and debuted on the
football broadcast with the 2000
Blue-White Game. In all, he has
done radio play-by-play for nearly
1,000 Penn State basketball and
football games.
His responsibilities at Penn State

Ford Foundation Grant Boosts
Institute for Information Policy
The Institute for Information Policy
at Penn State has been awarded a
grant to conduct research that will
help guide policy decisions and promote dialogue among academics and
policymakers.
A $300,000 grant from the Ford
Foundation will be used by the
Institute to create a network of
scholars who will publish concrete
and compelling research, which will
be made accessible to policymakers
and the public in a timely fashion.
“On numerous occasions in the
past few years we have heard the
pleas of senior administration officials for contemporary and relevant
research that can guide their communications policy decisions,” said
Amit Schejter, an associate professor
in the College of Communications
and co-director of the Institute for
Information Policy. “The challenge of
making such research available,
accessible, useful and timely is the
result of the different cultures of academics and policymakers.”
“Academic research, while
focused on topics of interest to the
researchers, tends to be lengthy,
opaque, produced gradually and subjected to extended review,” said
Richard Taylor, the Palmer chair of
telecommunication studies and law
and co-director of the Institute for
Information Policy. “Policymakers
need research to be briefly summarized, address current issues in
terms they understand and be available in real time. This project is
designed to bridge that gap and to
stimulate new voices.”
Key components of the two-year
grant are an expansion of the IIP’s
existing network of scholars, who
will participate in semiannual forums
to report on focused policy issues,
and the creation of an online, peerreviewed communication and information policy journal to promptly
and widely disseminate the results.

27

“It has long been a challenge to
meet the needs of these different
groups, but this grant will allow that
to happen,” Schejter said. “It will fulfill the needs of policymakers with
important and timely information and
reward the authors with the type of
recognition valued by their institutions for granting promotion and
tenure.”
A dozen leading and up-and-coming scholars participated in the first
forum conducted as part of the project (focusing on “The Broadband Act
of 2011”), which was conducted
Sept. 28-30 in Washington, D.C.
Those participants were selected
from more than three dozen applicants from around the world.
A second forum is planned for the
spring of 2011 and the online journal
will be officially launched at that time
as well.
The Institute for Information
Policy, founded in 1997 and housed
in the College of Communications,
conducts sponsored research and
collaborative programs on the social
implications of information technology, with a special emphasis on the
potential of information technologies
for improving democratic discourse,
social responsibility and the quality
of life.
Faculty and students associated
with the IIP actively participate in
national and international dialogues
with corporate leaders and policy
makers.
Researchers associated with the
IIP are among the leading information policy scholars in the nation
because they have published numerous articles, have authored or edited
books, have taken part in professional conferences and have been visible
in the national policy discourse. G

Development News

also include hosting the “The Penn
State Football Show” and the “Penn
State Basketball Show” call-in programs every Thursday during the fall
and winter, as well as producing the
“Inside Penn State Athletics” segments for the Penn State Sports
Network five days a week.
“I am truly humbled by the
Barrys’ thoughtfulness,” said Jones.
“While I am honored that this facility will bear my name, this project is
really about the students.”
One of the complex’s two control
rooms will be dedicated to producing live, in-game elements to be displayed on Rec Hall’s videoboards.
The second control room will
replicate an environment typically
found only in remote production
vehicles like those utilized by the Big
Ten Network.
Each control room will be
equipped with the same state-of-theart switcher, character generator,
replay machines and cameras found
on remote TV trucks covering sports
around the country.
The complex’s HD viewing room
will contain areas to view the live
events produced in both control
rooms and will also be available for
project review, class presentations
and guest speakers. The state-of-theart editing lab will enable students
to produce elements used both ingame during Rec Hall events as well
as feature content used in online
HD webcasts and on the Big Ten
Network telecasts.
The complex is among numerous
upgrades planned for Rec Hall,
including two new videoboards. The
boards will create an energetic
atmosphere with multiple live camera feeds, instant replays, dynamic
animations, team logos and real-time
statistics for all events. They will be
more than 10 feet high and 25 feet
wide.
The renovation is scheduled for
completion by June 2011.
G

Photo Perspectives: COMM
Students in introductory
photojournalism courses get to cover many
events on campus—everything from lectures
to sporting events—and several of the firsttime photographers captured strong sports
images during the fall semester.

1

Photos by: 1) Alexis Evans, from a wome
August, from a football game against Tem
UMBC; 4) Liz Murphy from a women’s so
ning goal to clinch the Big Ten Conferenc
Hampton from an exhibition basketball g
football game against Northwestern that

2
3

30

269

5

4

en’s basketball game against Gannon University; 2) Amanda
mple; 3) Shannon Simcox, from a men’s soccer game against
occer game when Ali Schaefer (clenching fists) scored the wince championship with just 17 seconds remaining; 5) Shavon
game against East Stroudsburg; and 6) Tom Ruane from the
produced coach Joe Paterno’s 400th career victory.
6

31

Development News

HONOR ROLL
The College of Communications received 1,606 gifts (not counting pledges and bequests)
during the period between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Of those, 1,500 were from individuals; 54 were from corporations; 42 were from foundations; and 10 were from organizations.
The contributions totaled $1,931,400. The Honor Roll recognizes alumni and friends who
made gifts of $100 or more to the College during the fiscal year. The information has been
provided by the Office of University Development.
DEAN’S CIRCLE

Gifts from nearly three dozen colleagues, friends and
Penn State alumni helped make the John Nichols
Trustee Scholarship a reality—and create an immediate
impact.
The establishment of the fund was announced in
September as a surprise coinciding with the Nichols’
retirement. Support for the fund has already helped
further enhance his legacy because two students have
received support from the endowment for the 2010-11
academic year.
Nichols served 33 years at Penn State, first coming
to the University as a junior faculty member out of
graduate school at the University of Minnesota and
consistently rising through the ranks and becoming one
of the most respected faculty members on campus.
He helped shape the creation and progress of the
College of Communications, consistently served on
committees across campus, was honored for his teaching and chaired the University Faculty Senate.
“I doubt that any member of the University Park faculty served the University in such far-reaching and dedicated fashion,” Dean Doug Anderson said.
The scholarship in Nichols’ name was the 28th
Trustee Scholarship created in the College since the
program’s inception in 2002. Under the program, the
University matches approximately 5 percent of the principal of each gift annually and combines those funds
with income from the endowment to effectively double
the financial impact of the scholarship.
A $50,000 gift payable over five years or less is the
minimum to establish a Trustee Scholarship.
G

John Nichols accepts a congratulatory hug from Provost Rodney
Erickson during a retirement event—part celebration, part roast—at
the start of the fall semester. (Photo by Steve Manuel)

36

Talented, Well-Prepared McGill Earns Crown

F

or the second time in four years,
a Penn Stater won the writing
portion of a national championship often referred to as "the
Pulitzers of college journalism."
Andrew McGill earned the national championship in the William
Randolph Hearst Foundation’s
Journalism Awards Program after
completing three stories in three days
during a head-to-head, on-location
competition with seven other writing
finalists in New York City in June.
“It was definitely not expected.
People at my table said when it was
announced I didn’t react,” McGill
said. “I think I was sort of shocked.
When I realized what had happened
I was just worried about not tripping
up on stage.”
Neither the stage nor the assignments that preceded it stopped
McGill, though.
His performance in a monthly
competition for spot news during the
2009-10 academic year earned McGill
a spot in the national championship
for the second time in three years. He
finished second in 2008 and that
experience helped him know what to
expect this time.
“You just have to pace yourself
because you have to write three stories,” McGill said. “Plus, when you
get the on-the-spot assignment you
have to start tracking down sources
right away.”
McGill was among 25 students
who competed in the national championships. The students earned spots
in the championships with top
monthly performances during the
contest year, which stretched from
mid-October until mid-May.
Some 1,105 students from the
country's 110 accredited programs
entered the writing, photojournalism,
broadcast and multimedia competitions.
The finals included eight writing

Andrew McGill

students, along with six in photojournalism, five in radio, five in television
and one in multimedia.
Writing competitors knew of two
assignments in advance—a profile and
a spot-news feature about the same
famous individual, in this case New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Students were able to conduct supporting interviews and prepare for an
interview with Bloomberg before they
arrived in the Big Apple.
Once on site, they drew the bigger,
on-the-spot assignment.
McGill prepared for the competition efficiently and effectively. He
could not focus exclusively on the
advance assignments because he graduated with a degree in journalism in
mid-May and started a full-time job as
a general-assignment reporter at The
Morning Call in Allentown, on June
1. Along with the competition, he
was writing about other news in
southeastern Pennsylvania.

37

Student News

Student News

After all the contest stories were
completed, judging was conducted by
Jeff Cohen of the Houston Chronicle;
Peter Bhatia of The Oregonian in
Portland, Ore.; and Jennifer Sizemore
of MSNBC.com and NBC News.
The results were not announced for
more than 24 slow-moving hours
until all the competitors met for a
dinner attended by 190 representatives from universities across the
country, Hearst Foundation and corporation officials, and previous
Hearst award recipients on the 44th
floor of the Hearst Tower in New
York City.
First, the finalists (those not in the
top three) were revealed and McGill's
name was not among that group—
meaning he had finished at least in
the top three.
“As they talked about the top
three, they referred to the third place
finisher's accomplishments and said
‘she,’ so I knew I was at least second,” he said. “The same thing happened with second place, another
‘she.’ After that, I don’t remember
anything until I had to worry about
getting on stage.”
Dean Doug Anderson said he was
proud of McGill's first-place finish
and the manner in which he represented the College.
With his victory, McGill joined
Halle Stockton, a journalism graduate who captured the writing national
championship in 2007, as recent winners from the University. Overall,
eight Penn State students have
earned spots in the national championships in the past 10 years.
McGill, from Wyncote, Pa.,
worked throughout his college career
at The Daily Collegian. He served as
an administration reporter, police
and courts reporter, investigative
reporter, metro editor and, finally,
managing editor.
G

Student News

TAKING
THE HEAT
Students Michael Young (left)

and Carley Lang respond to
questions during a “hot seat”
exercise conducted by senior
lecturer Steve Manuel as part of
COMM 471 Public Relations
Media and Methods. During the
semester-ending assignment,
the students serve as a
spokesperson for the Marine
Corps regarding a controversial
event in Japan. Questions come
from members of the news
media and faculty members
who volunteer their time to put
the students’ skills to the test
while under the lights in the
College of Communications’
television studio.
(Photos by Steve Manuel)

AMPAS Grant Program Supports Five Student Interns

A $5,000 grant from the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences provided an opportunity
for five film-video students from
the College of Communications to
complete competitive, high-level
internships with film companies for
movie studios last year.
The five students who received
support were:
T Adam Eshleman of State
College, who worked at
Continuum Pictures in Los
Angeles;
T Daniel Finer of Pittsburgh,
who worked at Sony Pictures in Los
Angeles;
T James Gibbons of Hawley, Pa.,
who worked for Scott Rudin
Productions in New York City;
T Adam Rutter of Altoona, Pa.,
who worked at Stuber Pictures in
Studio City, Calif.; and
T Samantha Shapiro of
Langhorne, Pa., who worked at
Pressman Films in New York City.
During the past seven years, 35
Penn State students have completed

internships with production companies or studios, or in other areas of
the motion-picture industry—as a
result of support from the program.
“Their grant remains a huge
boost for our film program, its faculty and, obviously, its students,”
said Dean Doug Anderson. “Our
faculty members in the College of
Communications do a splendid job
preparing film students and the
grant paves the way for opportunities students previously could not
accept.”
Since 1968 the Academy
Foundation, the educational and
preservation wing of the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences, has distributed more than
400 grants to a variety of film-related non-profit organizations, schools
and colleges.
The institutional and internship
grants reflect one of the Academy’s
fundamental purposes—to foster
educational activities between the
public and the film industry, and to
encourage an appreciation of the

38

motion picture as an art form and a
vocation.
In 2010, the Academy
Foundation distributed $500,000
to 73 institutions.
With support from the program
for the seventh year in a row, more
Penn State students again had an
opportunity to enhance their educational experience.
The University was one of just
21 schools nationally to gain financial support from the Academy
Foundation to further internship
programs.
In the past several years, Penn
State students supported through
the program have also completed
summer internship at the following
places: The American Pavilion,
Camelot Pictures, Double Feature
Films, Killer Films, Los Angeles
Film Festival, NFL Films, Public
Road Pictures, Sony/BMG Feature
Films, Thunder Road Pictures and
The Weinstein Company.
G

Fourteen Penn State students went
to the largest annual meeting of
public relations students in the
United States in October.
They networked, made a presentation to their peers and brought
home six awards.
Jessi Janiec, Lottie Rummel and a
dozen other PRSSA members spent
five days in Washington, D.C., at
the PRSSA 2010 National
Conference. The event kicked off
with chapter development sessions,
one of which was presented by Penn
State.
Five students presented the session titled “PRomote and PRogress
Your Chapter—Tactics to Build and
Maintain a Successful Chapter.”
Using their own experience, knowledge and some humor from “The
Office,” they taught fellow students
what it takes to make their chapters
grow.
“We focused on recruiting tactics, ways to maintain membership,
such as a point system and a committee structure and the benefits of
PRSSA,” said Rummel. “It was a
complete success.”
While it might not seem like
much, being chosen to present the
chapter development session is a
competitive process that requires a
great deal of planning. Only four of
the nation’s 284 Public Relations
Student Society of America chapters
were selected to lead a session.
Janiec and Rummel began to prepare last year by creating a detailed
outline of the presentation, documenting what would be presented
and producing a preliminary slide
show. They submitted the bid in
April and were notified of their
selection in June.
“As the second largest PRSSA
chapter in the nation (with 250
members), we felt Penn State would
have a lot of experience and infor-

Chapter to Host Regional Event
Beginning Feb. 11, PRSSA chapters
across the nation will host regional
activities—basically a smaller-scale
national conference—and this year
Penn State will be one of those sites.
Andrea Crawford and six other
members of Penn State’s Lawrence G.
Foster Chapter led the effort to host
the event. Over the summer, Crawford
and her board spent time creating
sample promotional materials, press
releases and social media accounts.
They also sent surveys to PRSSA
members and College of
Communications faculty.
In early September, they submitted
their bid form and, after that,
Crawford completed a phone interview with the national organizers who
were making a decision about the
site. She was notified of Penn State’s
selection two days later.
“It’s a very competitive process,”
said Crawford. “We’re the only school
that was selected in Region 10, which
includes all schools in Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and Long Island, New
York.”
Penn State organizers believe they

mation to share with other chapters.
Many chapters have told us at previous events that they could use our
help, and we want to continue to be
a resource for other chapters,”
Rummel said.
Planning for the conference itself
started in August, when Rummel,
the vice president of Penn State’s
PRSSA chapter, dealt with logistics,
including a decision about how
many members could attend.
“We chose enough representatives to attend all of the necessary
workshops throughout the weekend
in order to bring back valuable
information to our chapter,” said
Janiec, who helped with the process.
“They each deserved to attend the

39

have a practical theme for their event,
too. “The Reality of PR: A Survivor’s
Guide to the Public Relations World”
will focus on preparing students for
their post-graduation entry into the
field of public relations.
“We’ll be providing professional
speakers from a variety of fields to
help students get a feel for what
they’ll be facing when they enter the
field,” Crawford said. “It’s also an
opportunity for students to network
with other students, as well as public
relations professionals.”
Still, some work remains to make
the regional activity, which will be
held March 25-26, reality. Although
the dates and locations have been
chosen, many details remain, including how to drive attendance to the
event.
“We’ll be sending out registration
forms in January and will be asking
for volunteers from our PRSSA chapter closer to the date of the conference,” Crawford said.
—Carley Lang (’11 Adv/PR)

Student News

PRSSA Chapter Shines at National Conference

conference because of the amount
of time, enthusiasm and dedication
they put into our chapter.”
Thanks to the hard work of those
14 members and the rest of the
chapter, Penn State’s PRSSA chapter received six awards at the conference—including the Teahan
National Chapter Award for
Community Service, which recognizes voluntary projects executed by
a PRSSA chapter that benefit its
local community.
The chapter and its members
went above and beyond to receive
the prestigious award, participating
in nine different philanthropic
events throughout the year.
—Ca rley Lang (’1 1 A dv/P R)

Student News

Student Firm Grows, Provides Tangible Experience

More than a year ago, three commuments and critiques of all the formal
DeRosa. “When I’m discussing
nications students started to research potential new projects with clients
documents that Jessi needed to subwhat it took to organize and run a
mit to become an official organizaI’m always keeping in mind that this
public relations firm.
tion. As the firm became a reality, I
is a student-run business, and I want
Today, thanks to their time and
offered input into the client and
my team members to get as much as
effort, Happy Valley
account executive responsibilities,”
they can out of the experience.”
Communications—Penn State’s stusaid Feltman. “This year we have
Experience is exactly what Happy
dent-run public relations
been working out procefirm—has become a reality.
dures for selecting and
“I’m always keeping in mind that
In the summer of 2009,
accepting clients, making
Jessi Janiec, Lottie Rummel
sure
the transition of offithis is a student-run business, and I
and Laura Peck decided to
cers runs as smoothly as poswant my team members to get as
create a student-run public
sible and trying to ensure
much as they can out of the experirelations firm. Three months
that the legacy of HVC does
later, they began to recruit
not end when those leaders
ence.”
staff members.
in May.”
— Kristin DeRosa graduate
“When we originally startIn just a year’s time,
ed, we had no idea the
Happy Valley
amount of applications we
Communications won Best
would receive. We received over 100
Social Media for its EcoCAR camValley Communications’ staff memapplications in the first semester,”
paign, wrote a press release for
bers get. From writing press releases
said Janiec, the current executive
SleepPhones that was covered in
to planning events, students get a
director. “It was the experience a lot
Passport, a travel magazine, and
taste of everything the world of pubof students seemed to be looking
helped increase the amount of walklic relations has to offer.
for.”
ers for the Out of the Darkness Walk
And for some students, that expeOne of those eager students was
by more than 250 participants and
rience helps them achieve their ultiKristin DeRosa, who applied as a
mate goal: landing a job after gradua- the money raised by nearly $10,000.
sophomore.
“Seeing those 800 people show up
tion.
Her first position was as an
at the Out of the Darkness Walk and
Peck, one of the firm’s founders
account associate on the Out of the
hearing the total at the end of the
and a 2010 Penn State graduate, was
Darkness team, a nonprofit organiza- hired by Burson-Marsteller, a global
day was the most rewarding part of
tion that works to increase suicide
last year’s campaign,” said DeRosa.
public relations firm. Thanks to her
awareness and prevention in Centre
“It really showed me that even
experience with Happy Valley
County.
though it was stressful at times, in
Communications, Peck was able to
“I assisted in creating a new pubthe end this was something we were
prove that she was qualified for the
all dedicated to and it had a great
lic relations campaign for Out of the job.
Darkness,” said DeRosa. “I worked
result for the community.”
“HVC was a great experience to
on press releases, pitch letters, PSAs
Happy Valley Communications
talk about in interviews,” said Peck.
benefits both sides involved.
“Not only did it showcase that I
and street team efforts.”
Organizations and businesses gain
After a year of hard work, DeRosa understood the day-to-day workings
greater recognition in the communiof a student-run firm, but being a
was promoted to account executive
and is now the head of a team that
ty, and students get real experience
founder showed that I had strong
working for a firm.
leadership skills and, more imporserves Out of the Darkness and
“Get out and gain experience.
tantly, that I took initiative.”
Global Entrepreneurship Week at
The more quality experience you
Their initiative and enthusiasm is
Penn State.
have to talk about, the better.
what inspired Linda Feltman, a sen“As an account executive, I am
Everyone needs help communicating
ior business consultant with Penn
working directly with clients on a
their message,” said Peck. “After all,
State’s Small Business Development
daily basis, hearing what they’d like
that’s what public relations is all
to see happen and showing them dif- Center, to become Happy Valley
about.”
Communications’ faculty adviser.
ferent ways that my team can help
— C a rl e y L a ng ( ’ 11 Ad v /P R )
“In the beginning, I offered comthem achieve those goals,” said

40

Student News

VALERIE VISITS
Alumna Valerie Plame (’85 Adv), center, the former CIA operative who published a book and was the subject of a movie (“Fair Game” with
actress Naomi Watts playing Plame) this past year, met with students in the College’s Washington Program during the fall semester.

Telecommunications Major Serves as Student Marshal

Alumni Chapter of Wisconsin Scholarship.
He also served as the video executive for
the independent Penn State Dance Marathon
(THON) organization FOTO.
“I made videos for the group and promotional material that’s used to recruit members,” said Milnes. “We were fortunate
enough to have FOTO’s video broadcast live
last year on the THON webcast that was
viewed by more than 400,000 people.”
Milnes’ proudest accomplishment at Penn
State was his involvement with a team that
implemented the primary stages of a telemedicine system in a small village in eastern Africa.
“The system was named Mashavu, which is Swahili
for ‘chubby cheeked.’
“Our team won many awards and even published
an award-winning paper in the International Journal
for Service Learning in Engineering,” said Milnes. “It
was a terrific opportunity for me to enhance my
telecommunications education.” G

A telecommunications major from
Milwaukee, Wis., served as student marshal
for the College of Communications during
fall commencement exercises Dec. 18, at the
Bryce Jordan Center.
Jason Milnes completed his college career
with a 3.93 grade-point average. Faculty marshal Krishna Jayakar, associate professor in the
Department of Telecommunications, escorted
Milnes.
“Dr. Jayakar was a spectacular professor. He Jason
Milnes
taught me everything I know about the
telecommunications industry,” said Milnes. “I
really appreciated his enthusiastic method of teaching.”
Milnes took two classes with Jayakar, who teaches
telecommunications management and media economics.
During his time at Penn State, Milnes received several scholarships, including the Bradford Brian
Communications Scholarship and the Penn State

Latest news about the College ... http://comm.psu.edu
41

Student News
Students Produce Annual Homecoming Parade Webcast
Collector Bob Swaim pedals one of his more unusual bicycles during the Homecoming parade. (Photo by Annemarie Mountz)

Students from the College of Communications applied
what they’ve learned in the classroom when they produced their sixth consecutive live webcast of Penn
State’s annual Homecoming parade in October.
Students from two separate classes taught by Maria
Cabrera-Baukus handled the production. Students in
COMM 498B Webcast Production presented the
parade itself while students in COMM 383 Production
Administration produced supporting features and segments of the broadcast that focused on different aspects
of Homecoming and what goes into organizing the
event.
“In my classes I strive to provide the students with
‘real world’ situations. The idea is to have the projects
reach beyond the walls of the classroom,” said CabreraBaukus, a senior lecturer in the Department of
Telecommunications. “Producing the magazine show
about Homecoming and webcast of the Homecoming
parade does just that, giving the students a real experience and a real taste of what a production like this is
like.”

THON Webcast Set Feb. 18-20
The annual live webcast of the Penn State Dance
Marathon (THON), produced by students throughout
the 46-hour event, will be available beginning Feb. 18.
Check http://comm.psu.edu for details.

More than two dozen communications students
gained hands-on experience while producing the webcast. Jalelah Ahmed, a senior broadcast journalism
major from State College, and LaSaundra Powell, a junior broadcast journalism major from Brooklyn, N.Y.,
served as hosts of the live coverage of the nation’s
largest Homecoming parade.
Other faculty and staff from the College of
Communications involved in the parade webcast
included: Matt Jackson, an associate professor and head
of the Department of Telecommunications, and Chris
Maurer, Mozley-Bryan and Mike Zelazny, who provided
technical support.
G

42

Student News

LOVIN’ LUKE
Luke Russert (center) of NBC News and XM Radio met with students in the College’s Washington Program during the fall semester.

Millennials Episodes Debut on BTN
Two season-premiere, fall-semester
episodes of “We Are: The
Millennials,” the magazine-style,
news-and-information television
program produced by Penn State
communications students, debuted
back-to-back Nov. 29 on the Big Ten
Network.
The episodes—which were shot
on location at the Hintz Family
Alumni Center and the HUBRobeson Center, respectively—aired
consecutively for the first time ever
on the network.
Along with airing back to back,
the episodes were the first in the
series that were completely shot on
location.
“Although we enjoyed the studio
setting, we felt that moving the
shoots to various places on campus
would give the show a more diverse
look, and would give the viewers a
better feel for the subject matter
and for Penn State as a whole,” senior Nick Mittereder said.

“We Are: The Millennials” is a
30-minute program produced by
students enrolled in COMM 498E
Big Ten Network. Taught by
Christopher Yorks, senior producer/director at Penn State Public
Broadcasting, the course prepares
students for a career in television
production. The course is a partnership between the College of
Communications and Penn State
Public Broadcasting.
“This class is the most important
class I've taken in my time here at
Penn State. Absolutely nothing will
make you work your tail off more
than realizing that your work is
going to be aired nationally on the
Big Ten Network,” said Mittereder
of Pittsburgh, one of the student
producers for the series during the
fall semester.
A different set of students will
take over the program for the spring
semester.
G

43

Notes, Numbers
G Elmo, the popular red muppet from “Sesame Street,” joined
the ComRadio Morning Show for
an exclusive interview on Nov. 11.
The interview, conducted on a day
when public schools across the
United States were off, came in two
parts. The first part was with
Elmo—the cute, furry, red muppet
everyone knows and loves. After
the interview with Elmo, the man
behind the muppet, Kevin Clash,
spoke about the behind-the-scenes
aspect of both Elmo and “Sesame
Street” in general. The interview,
along with all episodes of the
Morning Show, can be found online
by searching psumorningshow on
Facebook.
G More than 120 students participated in Election Day coverage
for “Centre County Report,”
ComMedia and ComRadio the first
Tuesday in November. Much of
their work remains availalble at
http://commedia.psu.edu online.

Student News

Ph.D. Student Wins
Top Paper Award

A paper by a doctoral student in the
College of Communications was selected as
the winning entry for the O.S. Braunstein
Student Paper Prize, an annual award presented by the Pacific Telecommunications
Council.
Sangyong Han earned a monetary award
and support for travel expenses to present
his paper at the PTC conference in January
in Honolulu, Hawaii. The paper, which
focuses on a portion of the Digital
Copyright Act of 1998, was included in a
conference session about consumer behavior.
Han, originally from the Republic of
Korea, completed his master's degree in
telecommunications from Indiana
University in 2009. He earned his bachelor's degree in public administration and
public policy from Hankuk University of
Foreign Studies in 2000.
He has seven years of work experience in
the field of telecommunication in Korea.
His primary academic interests include
media economics, new media industry and
media policy. His research at Penn State has
focused on the social and economic impact
of information and communication technologies.
G

2010-11 NEW MASTER’S DEGREE STUDENTS

Michelle Asmara

Kelly Chernin

Jackie Dunfee

Integrated
Undergraduate/Graduate
Program

Bachelor’s, American
University

Integrated
Undergraduate/Graduate
Program

Julia Fraustino

Amirah Heath

Heather Hottle

Bachelor’s, University of
Scranton

Integrated
Undergraduate/Graduate
Program

Bachelor’s, Penn State

Nicole Lawrence

Jessica Ruiz

Sabrina Stewart

Tian Zhang

Bachelor’s, Ithaca College

Bachelor’s, Pontifical
Catholic University, Puerto
Rico

Bachelor’s, Claflin
University

Bachelor’s, Tsinghua
University

44

Student News

2010-11 NEW DOCTORAL DEGREE STUDENTS

Erin Ash

Melanie Formentin

Eun Go

Eun-Hwa Jung

Bachelor’s, College of
Charleston; master’s, Penn
State

Bachelor’s and master’s,
University of South Florida

Bachelor’s, Ewha Woman’s
University; master’s,
University of Florida

Bachelor’s, Kookmin
University; master’s,
University of Florida

Andrew Kegerise

Keunyeong Karina Kim

Chenjerai Kumanyika

Ju-Young Lee

Bachelor’s, Lebanon Valley
College

Bachelor’s, Ajou
University; master’s,
Kansas State

Bachelor’s, Penn State

Bachelor’s and master’s,
Ewha Woman’s University

Lian Ma

Brandie Martin

Drew Shade

Mu Wu

Master’s, Penn State

Bachelor’s and master’s,
Iowa State

Bachelor’s, Utah Valley
University; master’s,
Virginia Tech

Bachelor’s, Northwest
Normal University; master’s, Cleveland State

45

ALUMNI CLOSE-UP

Television
Tradition

Phil Dubrow serves as general manager at WTAJ-TV in Altoona, which has 17 Penn State alumni on its staff.

A

By Lyndsie Smyser (’11)

s Phil Dubrow neared the end of his senior year
at Penn State, he knew exactly what he wanted
to do. A native of Philadelphia, he wanted to sell
advertising for a Pennsylvania television station.
He applied to stations all over the state and was offered a
position as an account executive at WTAJ in Altoona.
“I graduated on a Friday, and I started on Monday,”
Dubrow said. Dubrow (’95 Brcab) is now the general
manager of WTAJ.
Dubrow wasn’t always so confident about his chosen
career path. “I thought I wanted to be on-air,” he said,
but his internship in on-air sports at WPVI in
Philadelphia pushed him to look into other areas of
broadcasting. He realized that the behind-the-scenes
aspect of the industry was more his style.
“It’s really a large organization working for one final
product,” he said. At Penn State, Dubrow worked at
campus radio stations WEHR and WPSU, where he realized his passion for selling advertising. “It was the thrill of
the chase,” he said.
For Kelli Passow, her career in television began at a job

Ambitious, talented alumni
make hiring decisions
easy for station managers
throughout Pennsylvania.

46

Alums at Home at WPSU
Some College of Communications graduates didn’t even
have to leave the University Park campus to find a
career in television. Penn State’s own public broadcasting station, WPSU, employs some two dozen Penn
Staters.
Dick Knupp (’81 SpCom), a video editor at WPSU,
compiled the list of alumni, which exceeds the number
of College of Communications alumni employed at any
commercial television station.
WPSU is the only public television station in
Pennsylvania that is licensed to a college or university.
It airs regular PBS programs in addition to content produced in University Park.
For Whitney Chirdon (’00 Media Studies), a producer
at WPSU, the decision to stay at Penn State was easy.
“It was my goal the whole time,” she said.
Chirdon worked at a student-run radio station, and
the employees of WPSU acted as mentors, providing
her with technical training and helping her to decide
upon a career path. “I learned so much from so many
people who are still working at WPSU,” she said.
Chirdon worked in the State College area for about a
year-and-a-half after graduating. As soon as a job
opened up at WPSU, she applied and was offered the
position. “People knew me there and recommended
me,” she said.
Cole Cullen (’96 Brcab) returned to Penn State to
work at WPSU as a lead editor. He had spent nine years
in the television industry when he and his wife, who is
also a Penn State graduate, decided to move back to
State College to start a family. “We always wanted to
live in this area,” Cullen said. Cullen has worked at
WPSU for five years.
Cullen is an alumnus of the Penn State Blue Band.
He played drums for all four years of his college career.
The week that he started at WPSU, Jeff Hughes, who
was also in the Blue Band, suggested that they work on
a documentary together about the band. Cullen said that
he really enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with the
Blue Band. “It was great to be in that environment
again,” he said.
In addition to the opportunity to work with the Blue
Band, Cullen enjoys the extra sense of Penn State pride
at the station. “On Fridays during football season everyone is wearing their football garb,” he said, “It’s nice to
work with people who have that Penn State pride.”
Ted Krichels, the general manager of WPSU, said
that pride translates into a stronger workforce.
“Given our close working relationship with the
University, having employees who understand and
appreciate Penn State is very helpful,” Krichels said.
“Primarily though, Penn State is an excellent source for
skilled, educated and creative people.”
—Lyndsie Smyser (’11)

47

Alumni Close-Up

fair in the HUB during her senior year at Penn State.
Hoping to find a job before graduating in the spring of
2003, Passow, an advertising major, handed a copy of her
resume to WHP, a TV station in Harrisburg. She was
offered a position in its sales department, where she still
works as an account executive.
Passow said the biggest thing that Penn State taught
her was how to communicate with potential employers.
She learned how to set herself apart from other job applicants.
“My boss told me that my handwritten thank-you note
was the reason he hired me,” said Passow, a native of
Marysville, a small town just outside of Harrisburg.
Passow said her advertising classes and the internships
that she completed at WPRR, a radio station in Altoona,
and at Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Co., helped
her to understand the advertising and broadcasting industries.
Their stories are just two examples of the many Penn
State alumni who have carved successful careers at
Pennsylvania TV stations. An audit conducted in July by
the College of Communications found that 121 Penn
State alumni are currently working at Pennsylvania TV
stations. Seventy-three of them are College of
Communications graduates.
Penn State alumni work at 28 TV stations located in
every major city in Pennsylvania. Dubrow’s station, WTAJ
in Altoona, has the most alumni with 17. WNEP in
Scranton has the second highest number of Penn Staters
with 12, and WHTM is third with nine alumni employed
at the station.
In addition to the large number of alumni working at
Pennsylvania TV stations, a related College of
Communications audit found that there are 136 Penn
State alumni employed at Pennsylvania radio stations, 59
of whom are College of Communications graduates.
The audit and survey combined results from the Penn
State Alumni Association database, individual information from radio and TV stations, and interviews with
executives and human resources directors at stations
across the state to produce the list of alumni working in
radio and TV in Pennsylvania.
Alumni with degrees in journalism, telecommunications, broadcast-cable, broadcast journalism, advertising,
public relations, media studies, mass communications,
and film and video from the College of Communications
currently work in television in Pennsylvania.
The power of blue and white is strong. Dubrow said
that WTAJ has a tradition of hiring a lot of Penn Staters.
“We have had a great track record from Penn State graduates,” he said. Dubrow said that WTAJ often hires from
its intern program, which is comprised of primarily Penn
State students.
Because WTAJ is a local news leader in the State

Shapiro (’77 Journ), who began
College area, Dubrow said that it
her career at WTAJ in Altoona
is beneficial to have so many Penn
after graduating, was an intern at
State alumni at the station. For
WTAJ during her time at Penn
example, Chris Owens, the direcState. “Internships are clearly
tor of the Penn State football show
gateways to jobs,” she said.
“Nit Wits,” and Baylor Long, the
Shapiro often travels to Penn
producer of WTAJ’s morning
State to cover stories and says that
show, are both Penn State alumni.
it helps to be familiar with the
They often reach out to their concampus. As a health reporter she
tacts at the University to get spealso covers stories at Penn State’s
cial guests such as football players
Hershey Medical Center. “It’s
and quarterbacks coach Jay
hard not to do something about
Paterno.
Penn State somewhere along the
At WHP in Harrisburg, Passow
line,” she said.
also finds that it helps being a
Shapiro said she doesn’t find it
Penn State graduate. She said she
difficult to be unbiased when
can’t go anywhere without finding
reporting on Penn State. She credsomeone who likes Penn State or
its classes she took as an underwent to Penn State. Often times,
graduate as part of the reason for
when she goes to talk to potential
her strong reporting ethics.
clients, she learns that they went
“We learned enough about
to Penn State. This makes it easy
that at Penn State,” she said. “If it
for her to make conversation.
was a controversial story I would
“Even if we were there decades
be sure to make it clear that I was
apart it gives us something in coma Penn State graduate.” Shapiro
mon,” she said.
said also that controversial stories
Passow said that working with
have come up about Penn State
other Penn State alumni at WHP
and that she didn’t personally
makes her feel like she is part of a
cover them. “There are a lot of
bigger family. “It was really reassurstories that I have an opinion on,
ing,” she said. Passow said the
but I am careful to remain unbiparking lot is filled with Penn
ased,” she said.
State license plates and stickers.
Shapiro isn’t the only Penn
“We are definitely a Penn State
proud office.”
State alumnus who is in often in
Susan Shapiro works as a news anchor for WGAL.
the position to report on her
For Dick Schrott, the general
alma mater. Tom Sredenschek has been covering sports,
manager of WJAC in Johnstown and a member of the
including the Penn State beat, since he was a student. He
College of Communications Board of Visitors, the trainsays that reporting bias isn’t an issue.
ing that students receive at campus facilities such as
“I’ve always been clear to separate my lines,” said
Innovation Park makes Penn State alumni stand out.
Sredenschek, now a senior sports producer at WTXF in
“The hands-on experience that students get with the
Philadelphia.
equipment there is very valuable to us,” Schrott said.
The biggest thing that helped him to succeed in televi“And the experience that the College of Communications
sion was his internship at KYW in Philadelphia,
provides being a top-notch school.”
Sredenschek said. “It lets you apply what you learn in
Doug Anderson, the dean of the College of
class, and it lets you learn the hands-on skills,” he said.
Communications, said that the College is proud to have
“You realize that what you learn in a class or from a text
such a strong presence in the TV and radio industries.
book actually applies.”
“We stress a broad-based education that includes relevant
Sredenschek graduated in 1985 with a degree in
experience in the classroom and in the field,” he said.
telecommunications. At Penn State he covered football
Susan Shapiro is very familiar with the importance of
and basketball for the campus radio station, WPSU. He
fieldwork. She has worked in television for more than
served as the station’s sports director for three years.
three decades. Shapiro is a news anchor and a health
“Those type of things are crucial,” he said, “You get the
reporter at WGAL in Lancaster, where she has been for
look and feel of the real world, it’s huge.”
G
nearly 30 years.

48

Rob Boulware Selected as Alumni Fellow

A communications expert
with impressive credentials,
ever-increasing responsibilities and a never-ending willingness to support the
College of
Communications and its
students was honored as a
Penn State Alumni Fellow,
the highest award given by
the Alumni Association, in
October.
Rob Boulware was one
of 23 most recent recipients of the award. Since
the award was established
in 1973, only 665 alumni
have been honored with
the title of Alumni Fellow,
designated a permanent
and lifelong title by the
Penn State Board of
Trustees. Those 665 hon- Award winner Rob Boulware (second from right) with (left to right): Penn State Alumni Association
orees represent one-eighth President Barry Simpson, Dean Doug Anderson and President Graham Spanier. (Photo by Steve Tressler)
of one percent of all
public and media relations, and
lege or campus as leaders in their
514,000 living Penn State alumni.
community
relations.
Before
joining
professional fields and accept an
“Alumni are the University’s most
FedEx,
he
managed
communicainvitation from the President of the
valuable resource,” said Roger L.
tions
and
community
relations
and
University
to return to campus to
Williams, who earned three degrees
was
the
company
spokesman
for
share
their
expertise with students,
from the University and serves as
Columbia
Gas
of
Pennsylvania
and
faculty
and
administrators. Each
executive director of the Penn State
Columbia
Gas
of
Maryland.
Alumni
Fellow
received a commemAlumni Association. “The Alumni
Boulware
also
previously
worked
as
orative
award,
designed
and hand
Fellow program gives us the opportumedia
relations
coordinator
for
the
cast
by
alumna
Jeanne
Stevensnity to showcase the significant conPittsburgh Steelers and the San
Sollman, an acclaimed sculptor and
tributions Penn Staters make to our
Diego
Chargers.
He
worked
as
a
an Alumni Fellow herself.
nation and the world.
media
relations
assistant
at
six
The Penn State Alumni
“At the same time, we are giving
Super
Bowls.
Association
is the largest dues-paythese shining stars a chance to share
At
Penn
State,
Boulware
was
the
ing
alumni
association
in the world
their expertise with students and fac1984
IC4A
long
jump
champion.
with
more
than
164,000
members.
ulty-staff while on campus.”
With
his
selection,
Boulware
Established
in
1870,
the
Alumni
Rob Boulware (’86 Journ), the
became just the 44th graduate from
Association strives to connect alumCollege of Communications’ honthe
College
of
Communications
to
ni
to the University and to each
oree, works as manager of issues
be
honored
as
an
Alumni
Fellow.
other,
provide valuable benefits to
and crisis communications for
The
program
is
administered
by
members
and support the
FedEx Ground, headquartered in
the
Penn
State
Alumni
Association
University’s
mission of teaching,
Pittsburgh.
in
cooperation
with
the
University’s
research
and
service.
At FedEx Ground, with a workacademic
colleges,
campuses
and
For
information
about the
force of 70,000, Boulware is responthe
Office
of
the
President.
Alumni
Association,
go to
sible for strategic development for
Alumni
are
nominated
by
a
colhttp://www.alumni.psu.edu
online. G
issues/crisis management plans,

49

Alumni News

Alumni News

Alumni News

Alumni Society Board Recognizes Award Winners

Three communications alumni and
one faculty member from the
College of Communications were
selected for awards recognizing their
accomplishments and contributions
to the College, the University and
beyond.
Those selected were: Rennie
Dyball, an author and reporter for
People magazine; Joe Krushinsky,
vice president of Maryland Public
Broadcasting; Thomas Loebig, director of digital media content and
operations for AccuWeather; and
Michael Elavsky, an assistant professor in the Department of FilmVideo and Media Studies.
The awards, sponsored by the
College’s Alumni Society Board,
were presented Sept. 27.
Dyball (’02 Journ) was selected
for the Emerging Professional
Award, presented annually to alumni who have graduated in the past
10 years with a record of professional achievements and/or distinguished community service.
Along with her work as a
reporter and writer for People and
People.com, Dyball has authored
two books. She writes about music
celebrities, and has authored cover
stories for the magazine as well as
celebrity features, human interest
stories and movie reviews. Her latest
book, “A Famous Dog’s Life,” will
be published in the spring of 2011.
Krushinsky (’85 Broadcasting/
Telecom), who has worked in public
broadcasting for more than 20
years, earned the Outstanding
Alumni Award. The award is presented to a graduate of the College
who has demonstrated excellence in
the field of communications, contributed significantly to their profession, and gained an exemplary reputation among colleagues and students within their community.
At Maryland Public

Broadcasting, Krushinsky serves as
chief development officer, chief
communications officer and as a
member of the senior management
team.
Before joining Maryland Public
Broadcasting, he worked in public
broadcasting in Washington, D.C.,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He
has earned numerous awards for his
work and regularly assists the
American Cancer Society, having
served as volunteer chair and host
of the society’s telethon in
Pennsylvania since 1987. He was
twice named American Cancer
Society volunteer of the year, and
twice earned the organization’s leadership award.
Loebig (’80 Journ) was selected
for the Achievement Award, which
recognizes a graduate or friend of
the College whose significant contributions to the College and/or
University, in terms of time and talent, have brought distinction to
themselves, the College and
University.
As director of digital media content and operations for
AccuWeather, Loebig manages all of
the organization’s digital media,

50

including video, news and social
networking for platforms such as
AccuWeather.com, the
AccuWeather television network
and AccuWeather.com mobile. He
also oversees the on-air look and
production of AccuWeather’s digital
weather channel. He worked as a
news director for several television
stations before joining
AccuWeather.
Loebig is actively involved at
Penn State. He enjoys mentoring
students and participates in annual
career nights and resume workshops.
Elavsky, an award-winning scholar and respected teacher, was selected for the Excellence in Teaching
Award.
The award recognizes faculty who
have demonstrated excellence in
teaching, contributed significantly
to the growth of students’ learning
and gained an exemplary reputation
among colleagues, students and
alumni. Nominees were judged on
their ability to inspire students and
improve the classroom environment, their breadth and depth of
knowledge of their subject and their
dedication outside the classroom. G

More than a half dozen books have
been written about legendary Penn
State football coach Joe Paterno,
and the latest takes a slightly different approach by sharing stories
from 38 colleagues, contemporaries, former players and friends.
“They Know Joe” was coauthored by Neil Rudel (’78 Journ)
who serves as managing editor of
the Altoona Mirror and has covered
Penn State football since 1977, and
Cory Giger, the award-winning
Penn State beat reporter for the
Altoona Mirror who has covered the
Nittany Lions since 2006.
The 144-page book includes
forewords by President George
H.W. Bush and former Florida
State coach Bobby Bowden.
Chapters that follow relate
insights and memories from former
college football coaches (including
Lou Holtz, Johnny Majors, Tom
Osborne and Vince Dooley), media
personalities (people such as Beano
Cook and Chris Fowler), numerous former Nittany Lions players
and several family members and
friends.

Rudel and Giger conducted
dozens of interviews for the book.
They then crafted each chapter as a
story about Paterno from a different person’s perspective.
From those different but unified
pieces, an enjoyable, entertaining
and readable book emerges.
The book may be purchased at
paterno.altoonamirror.com
online. It costs $14.99 in paperback and $34.99 in hard cover. G

Abdullah Named to Alumni Society Board

Gary Abdullah (’74 Journ),
whose professional experience
includes broadcasting, marketing
and writing, is the newest member of the College’s Alumni
Society Board.
Abdullah has spent most of
his career at Penn State, working
in public television and radio,
Independent Learning and
Public Information.
For the past dozen years, he
has been a writer/editor in communications and marketing for

the College of Agricultural
Sciences.
He is a former secretary-treasurer of the State College
Chapter of the NAACP, past
president of Penn State’s Forum
on Black Affairs and is a bass
guitarist with Urban Fusion, a
jazz-fusion and R&B quartet.
His wife Lydia (’75 Acct.) is a
longtime employee of Penn
State, and their son Gary Jr. (’03
Telecom, ’07 MA Telecom) is
also a graduate of the College. G

51

ALUMNI BOOKSHELF

Places of the
Underground Railroad
A Geographical Guide

Rae Hallstrom (’76 Journ)
(2010, Greenwood)

T Hallstrom, an award-winning writer,
Ameriku artist, former radio talk show
host, patent-holding inventor and engineer, served as a co-author for the
book that focuses on cities and towns
(organized alphabetically through the
422-page book) that played a role in
the history of the Underground
Railroad.

T Bried, a writer at Self magazine, provides practical advice on a variety of
topics in a book that has earned abundant critical praise. She wrote an earlier book—“How to Sew a Button: And
Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother
Knew”—that offered advice from everything from rolling a pie crust to dancing the waltz.

Alumni News

Alum, A Veteran Sportswriter,
Co-Authors New Paterno Book

Alumni News

RAUCOUS
REUNION
Assistant Dean Joseph Selden (left)
talks with members of the United
Soul Ensemble outside Carnegie
Building during the well-attended
Black Alumni Reunion that was held
at the start of the fall semester.

Recipient Repays Support from Film Endowment

A recent graduate gave back to the
endowment fund that supported her
senior film project.
As a student, Erica Sperber (’10
Film-Video) earned support for her
project from the Samuel D. and
Lillian K. Abrams Senior Film
Endowment. The fund was created
by Gerald Abrams (’61 Bus) and his
mother Lillian in memory of his
father and her husband Samuel
Abrams. The fund exists to assist in
financing required senior projects.
Since the creation of the endowment, Abrams has requested that
recipients make an effort—if they are
able—to make a contribution back to
the fund within 10 years of graduating. The repayment is not required.
It is simply a request that after graduating and moving on in their
careers the grant recipients will
make an effort to support upcoming
film-video seniors.
Sperber has already repaid $200
of her $453 grant less than a year
after graduating.
“My group and I are happy we are
in a position to pay back the grant
so soon after graduation,” said
Sperber. “We feel fortunate to have
jobs in this unstable economy that

allow us the opportunity to give
back to Penn State a little at a time.”
The repaid grant money goes into
the Senior Film Endowment to give
more seniors the necessary financial
assistance to create their films.
“It is important to repay the grant
we received because we want future
senior film groups to be free to
make the films they want without
worrying about the budget and
finances,” said Sperber.

52

“We want to do our part to put a
little money back into the system so
other students have the same opportunities that we did.”
Sperber worked as producer and
production manager of “Iowa is
Closed Today,” which was written
and directed by Ryan Quinn (’10
Film-Video) and included a crew of
other film-video students.
The film was recently named best
short film at the REEL Independent
Film Festival and Extravaganza in
Washington, D.C. It was also honored as best student film at the
Eighth Annual Pocono Mountains
Film Festival.
“We put our all into this project
and have been blessed with the
rewards coming out of it,” said
Sperber. “We are thankful that Penn
State allotted us funds to make a
project so near and dear to our
hearts; we could not have done it
without the Penn State film department and we are forever grateful.”
Sperber now works in the technical operations department at FOX
News Channel and Business
Network.
— Va le r i e F au s t i n e ( ’ 11 A d v / P R )

Alumnus Bob McKinnon (’90 Adv),
president of Yellowbrickroad
Communications, was on campus in
September, leading a crew that taped
interviews with Sue Paterno that
later aired on the Big Ten Network.
Segments were taped at the
Nittany Lion Shrine, Rec Hall and
Pattee-Paterno Library.
Paterno, wife of football coach Joe
Paterno, was included in the Give
Big segment of the Oct. 8 “Big Ten
Tailgate,” which aired on the Big Ten
Network. She was profiled for her
dedication to Special Olympics of
Pennsylvania.
The Give Big segments are
designed to highlight members of Big
Ten communities who display dedication, hard work and teamwork
toward a higher goal in their communities. They focus on people who display genuine dedication and a longlasting involvement with a cause.
Paterno has long been associated
with Special Olympics and in April
2010, on the day after the annual
Blue-White Game, her determination
helped make the first annual Special

Olympics 5K at Penn State possible.
The run ended on the 50-yard line in
Beaver Stadium.
McKinnon’s company works with
government organizations, nonprofit
groups and corporations to create
communications programs that
improve the lives of children and
their families. McKinnon has years of
experience designing social change
programs for a range of organizations, including the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, the
International Olympic Committee,
the Boys Club of New York and the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
In 2009, McKinnon compiled and
edited a book, “Actions Speak
Loudest,” that featured 32 essays
from a diverse group of headliners—from President Jimmy Carter to
Rachel Ray. Each chapter pairs a
1,000-word essay with a poignant
photograph and closes with two-page
calls to action that give readers practical advice on how to become
involved in effecting change in their
own communities and on the national level.
G

53

G Jayne
Jamison (’78
Adv), the vice
president and
publisher of
Seventeen
magazine, was
honored
Nov. 15 by
the American
Jewish
Jayne
Committee as a Jamison
recipient of the
AJC National Human Relations
Award.
Jamison is the chair of the
College of Communications’ Board
of Visitors, and has been recognized by Penn State as a
Distinguished Alumna and an
Alumni Fellow. In 2008, the Susan
G. Komen Race for the Cure in New
York City named her “Survivor of
the Year.”
G Veteran journalist John
Severance (’85 Journ) was named
editor of the Los Alamos Monitor,
effective Dec. 1. Severance had
most recently worked as editor of
the Mountain Mail, a weekly newspaper in Southern New Mexico. He
has worked for papers in Palm
Beach, Fla., Lexington, Ky., and
State College.
Severance lives in Sanfa Fe,
N.M., and owns a small horse
ranch with his girlfriend Jill, a
horse trainer and restaurant manager. When they were living in
Kentucky, they trained a stakeswinning horse that earned more
than $200,000.
Severance grew up near
Washington, D.C.
G “Cost of a Soul,” a film by
Sean Kirkpatrick (’06 Film-Video),
made its world premiere at The
Cinequest Film Festival and was
nominated for both the Audience
Award and the Special Jury Award.

Alumni News

Notes, Numbers

Alumni Notes
1960s

Stu Chamberlain (’65 Journ) won
his 10th Writers Guild of America
award for the ABC Radio program
“Paul Harvey: An American Life.”
1970s

Archie DiFante (’75 Journ) works
as a research archivist for the Air
Force in Montgomery, Ala. The position has made him the subject of
news media reports at times,
specifically in instances when he
has assisted German agencies in
locating and defusing unexploded
bombs from World War II.
Kay Stephens (’77 Journ) is a news
reporter for the Altoona Mirror. At
the annual convention of National
Federation of Press Women, she
placed second in the investigative
reporting category and received an
honorable mention in the news
reporting category.
1980s

Diane Salvatore (’81 Journ) is the
editor-in-chief of Prevention magazine. Previously, Salvatore was the
editor-in-chief of Ladies’ Home
Journal.
Tony Phyrillas (’83 Journ) received
a first-place award for column writing in the 2010 editorial contest
sponsored by the Pennsylvania
Associated Press Managing Editors.
He is a city editor and political
columnist for The Mercury in
Pottstown, Pa.
Kathy Knaub-Hardy (’84 Comm) is
a freelance writer for trade magazines, covering topics ranging from
radiology and medical technology to
family entertainment. Contact info:
good.inc@verizon.net
Lisa Bosak Lucas (’85 Telecom) is
an executive producer for Animal
Planet. She oversees a number of

Alumna Lisa Lucas (’85 Telecom) joins host and extreme angler Jeremy Wade during
a production of the River Monster “Killer Snakehead” episode in Florida.

the network's series and specials,
including “I'm Alive,” “Pit Bulls &
Parolees,” “Stranger Among Bears”
and “River Monsters.”
Lydia Reeves Timmins (’87
Telecom) is an assistant professor
at the University of Delaware. She
received her Ph.D. in mass media
and communication from Temple
University in May 2010.
George Gabel (’88 Telecom) is an
administrator at Camp “Positive”
Motivation in the Virgin Islands.
1990s

Bill Reader (’92 Journ, ’00 MA
Media Studies) is an associate professor with tenure at the E.W.
Scripps School of Journalism at
Ohio University. He co-authored
“Moral Reasoning for Journalists:
Second Edition” (Praeger, 2008).
Valerie Francois (’93 Journ) is
director of strategic marketing and
communications for The Ranney
School in Tinton Falls, N.J. She is a
former member of the College's
Alumni Society Board. She was for-

54

merly senior program and educational outreach manager at Siemens
Foundation.
Jessica Rubin Cohen (’94 Adv)
launched the website
www.bucksmontmom.com. She
lives in Richboro, Pa. Contact info:
Jessica@bucksmontmom.com
Chad Hershberger (’94 Journ) and
wife Sarah welcomed daughter Clair
Margaret on Dec. 29, 2009. He is
executive director of Camp Mount
Luther and serves as part-time
director of communications for
Upper Susquehanna Synod, ELCA.
In addition, he teaches communications courses part-time at
Susquehanna University and
Pennsylvania College of Technology.
They live in Millmont, Pa.
Kelly (Tabay) Hainer (’98 Journ) is
an executive producer for WEWSTV in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ira Rosenweig (’99 Film-Video) is
a producer and director for
Wavemaker.

Erin Trench (’00 ) was appointed to
the board of directors of Meeting
Professionals International.
Scott Berchman (’02 Flim-Video)
is director of video production and
online media at Sonoran Studios.
Patrick Raring (’02 Media Studies)
is a captain in the U.S. Air Force.
Courtney Brooke (’03 Journ) is a
communications specialist for
Comcast Cable.
Jeff Sechler (’03 Telecom) is an IT
consultant for the College of Liberal
Arts at Penn State. He published his
first book, “A Young Adult’s Guide
to Safety in the Digital Age,” in
September 2010.
Goldie (Braskey) Van Horn (’03
Journ) and her husband William
(’02 Bus) welcomed daughter
Caroline Victoria on Sept. 6, 2009.
Contact info:
goldievanhorn@gmail.com
Daniel Hausmann (’04 Journ) is a
reporter for Dow Jones & Co.
David Rousch (’04 Journ) is a
teacher at Harry S. Truman High
School in the Bronx, N.Y. He also is
a freelance reporter, anchor and
assignment editor for News 12 the
Bronx and News 12 Brooklyn.
Brian Gardner (’05 Journ) is an
assistant professional with
Kimberton Golf Club.
Katy Lindenmuth (’05 Journ) is
deputy copy chief with
Cosmopolitan magazine.
Diana Peters-Wilkosz (’06 Adv/PR)
is a senior media planner/buyer for
the Pittsburgh office of Mullen. She
was recently nominated for the
BizMark Award in the category of

Well-Prepared Alumna Welcomes
Opportunity as Miss Black USA
For Osas Ighodaro,
competing in pageants is nothing
new. Since age 15,
Ighodaro has participated in many competitions, developing
her talents and selfesteem along the
way. Her most
recent achievement
was being crowned
Miss Black USA.
“Participating in
the Miss Black USA
pageant was certainly a goal of mine,”
said Ighodaro (’05
Journ). “I always
wanted to be part of
a pageant that celebrated and valued
Osas Ighodaro
me for who I am.”
After graduating
from Penn State, she pursued an
acting career, starring in feature,
independent and short films.
Ighodaro used her acting skills to
perform a monologue, “What If I
am a Black Woman,” for the pageant.
“I wanted to perform something
that would be memorable, but that
would also send a positive message,” she said. “I performed the
monologue in four dialects to
showcase that even though black
women are diverse, we all are beautiful in our own ways.”
Winning the title of Miss Black
USA comes with many responsibilities, including working as a celebrity advocate for the Heart Truth
Campaign to raise awareness of
heart disease, the No. 1 killer of
women in the United States.
“I hope to use my crown to raise
awareness by reaching women at a

55

much younger age so
that we can prevent
the disease later. I
want to encourage
women to lead a
healthy lifestyle and
know their risk,” she
said.
Using her title to
give back is especially exciting for
Ighodaro, who has
always believed in
the importance of
community service.
As a global ambassador, Ighodaro plans
to travel extensively
to raise awareness
for both heart disease and her personal cause, malaria
awareness.
Her parents,
Joseph and Patricia, are originally
from Nigeria, making Ighodaro the
first Nigerian-American to be
crowned Miss Black USA.
“I am extremely excited about
the opportunity to travel to the
continent of Africa and return to
my roots,” she said.
As Miss Black USA 2010,
Ighodaro serves the global community and acts as a role model for
others—especially women and
young girls. Her goal is to make an
impact on their lives and promote
their self-confidence and happiness.
“Spreading the idea that positivity is not just a feeling, but a state
of mind, is very important to me.
Having a positive mindset can take
you so far in life,” said Ighodaro. “I
want to inspire them to never give
up on their dreams.”
— Carley Lang (’11 Adv/PR)

Alumni Notes

2000s

Alumni Notes

Advertising Agency Employee of the
Year.
Gina Zammit (’06 Adv/PR) works
for Wine Cork Media as an online
TV host and writer. She traveled to
Seoul, Korea in July to host the
“Sell Your Seoul” campaign for the
tourism board.
Allison Busacca (’07 Journ) is a
copy editor with the BBC’s travel
web site.
Erica Tempesta (’07 Journ) is
working with Teach for America
teaching English at a high school in
Houston.
Brian Sein (’07 Journ) is an assistant editor with the Philadelphia
Eagles Television Network.
Mia Aquino (’08 Journ) is a researcher
on the national desk for CNN.
Amber Backes (’08 Adv/PR) is a
contact center representative for the
American Board of Internal
Medicine.
Jennifer Beaumont-Schroeder (’08
Ad/PR) is a goalkeeper coach for
Xcalibur Field Hockey. Her responsibilities include creating practice
plans and supervising more than 20
goalkeepers during practices and
tournaments.

Michael Tomko (’08 Journ) is completing his third year a staff writer at
GoDuke.com, where he serves as
managing editor of GoDuke Weekly.
He as been accepted to The Medill
School at Northwestern University
and will begin his graduate studies
there in June 2011.
Stef Davis (’09 Journ) is a reporter
with WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre.
Brandon Taylor (’09 Journ) works
as an editor at the Beijing Review.
2010s

Katelyn Bennett (’10 Visual Journ)
is a photo editing intern with AOL.
Rich Coleman (’10 Journ) works as
a reporter at the Las Vegas Sun.
Eric Jou (’10 Journ) works as a
reporter with China Daily.
Katy Hopkins (’10 Journ) is doing a
post-graduate internship with U.S.
News & World Report.
Chase Kenderes (’10 Journ) is a
producer of the Pittsburgh Pirates
pre- and post-game shows on
WPGB and the Pirates Radio
Network.
Walter Kruhoeffer (’10 Telecom)
works at WeatherNation in
Excelsior, Minn. His responsibilities
include video and audio post-production and web design work.

Demetria Giles (’08 Journ) is an
early childhood educator with KIPP
DC: LEAP Academy. She also serves
as a Saturday School coordinator,
Professional Learning Community
facilitator and mentor teacher.

sws102@psu.edu
Lauren McCormack (’10 Journ)
works as a reporter for the Daily
Local News in West Chester.
Andrew McGill (’10 Journ) works
as a reporter at the Morning Call in
Allentown.
Natalya Stanko (’10 Journ) is doing
a post-graduate internship with
Sierra magazine.
Chris Stewart (’10 Journ) works as
a reporter at CBS 3 in Springfield,
Mass.
Lauren Sujkowski (’10 PR) has
worked this year for the office of the
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix. She
was also named the fifth winner of
the Tim Mickle BCS Internship.
Rachel Thomas (’10 Media
Studies) is an assistant at Long
Story Short. She resides in
Washington, D.C.
Ryan Quinn (’10 film-video) won a
pair of festival awards for his film,
"Iowa Is Closed Today." His film
earned "Best Short Film" at the REEL
Independent Film Festival &
Extravaganza in Washington, D.C.,
and "Best Student Film Award" at
the Pocono Mountains Film Festival.
Quinn works as a film editor for
Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics.
John Walk (’10 Journ) works as a
reporter at the York Dispatch.
Jacob Wilkins (’10 Journ) works as
a play-by-play announcer for the
Hudson Valley Renegades minor
league baseball team.

Donald W. Davis Jr., a Penn State
alumnus and longtime supporter of
the College of Communications
and University who steadfastly
believed in “doing the right thing,”
died peacefully Saturday, Sept. 11,
at his summer home in Chilmark,
Mass., surrounded by his loving
family. He was 89.
Davis (’42 Journ), retired president and chief executive officer of
The Stanley Works, was a former
resident of New Britain, Conn. In
his retirement years, he resided in
Hobe Sound, Fla., and Chilmark.
He was born in Springfield,
Mass., in 1921, to Donald Walter
and Laura Mansfield Davis. At age
15, he and his family moved to
State College, and his father, a communications professor, established
the advertising program at Penn
State. Under his leadership, enrollment in advertising courses grew to
be the largest in the country, and he
established a commitment to ethics
that remains a defining characteristic of the program more than 70
years later.
Davis honored his father’s memory with the creation of the Donald
W. Davis Symposium in Advertising
Ethics and by establishing the Don
Davis Professorship in Ethics. He
also endowed a Trustee Scholarship
in his sister’s name, the Maralyn
Davis Mazza Trustee Scholarship.
“Establishment of the professorship in ethics is the result of the
convergence of a number of factors,” said Davis, who cited his
father’s legacy of emphasizing ethics
when the professorship was created
in 2005. “There has been an
increased interest and attention of
society generally concerning ethical
behavior, resulting from the excesses
of the dot-com revolution, recent
corporate scandals and excessive
executive compensation. Ethical
dilemmas exist every day for com-

municators, from the always present
tensions between news and partisan
opinion to the conflict between a
communicator’s own sense of social
responsibility and the motivation
for commercial success.”
Doug Anderson, dean of the
College of Communications, said
Davis was one of Penn State’s greatest graduates.
“Don was one of the College’s
best friends and supporters,”
Anderson said. “I have never known
anyone quite like Don. He was a
brilliant leader, unselfish, articulate,
astute, devoutly loyal to the things
he held dear, compassionate and
rock solid in all he did. His legacy
in the College will extend forever.”
After Davis earned his degree
from Penn State, he joined the Navy
and became a first lieutenant during
World War II. Upon his return, he
entered Harvard Business School
on the GI Bill, graduating with a
master’s degree in business administration in 1948.
He joined The Stanley Works in
1948 as general manager of labor
relations. His career at Stanley
would span 40 years as he progressed to executive vice president

57

and director in 1962, and to president and chief executive officer in
1966. At age 44, as the youngest
president in Stanley’s history, he initiated putting The Stanley Works
on the New York Stock Exchange,
which resulted in the opportunity
for extraordinary domestic and
international growth.
Davis transformed the company
into an aggressive leader in the globally competitive tool and hardware
industry. During his tenure, Stanley
made more than 25 acquisitions
and penetrated new markets. He
helped pioneer the do-it-yourself
industry and even penned the company slogan: “Stanley helps you do
things right.”
His leadership style was characterized by his natural charisma, ability to connect with his audience in
a clear and straightforward manner,
as well as his vision, steadfast
integrity and lifelong community
involvement.
He went on to serve as chairman
of the board from 1977 to 1989.
Along with serving as chairman for
the National Association of
Manufacturers, the Connecticut
Business and Industry Association,

Alumni News

Alumnus, Longtime Supporter Donald W. Davis Dies at 89

Alumni Notes

and the National Institute for
Dispute Resolution, he served on
multiple other boards.
Upon retirement from Stanley at
the mandatory age of 70, Davis
headed up a group of retired executives who traveled the globe working with entrepreneurs in underdeveloped countries. He went on to
teach leadership, ethics and public
policy for more than 20 years at
MIT’s dual master’s degree program, Leaders for Manufacturing,
based on his personal mantras of
what it takes to be an ethical and
effective leader.
He was an avid athlete: a passionate tennis and squash player,
fisherman, sailor, skier and swimmer. He wrote three children’s
books and a book of poetry. At
home, he was a family man, gardener and down-to-earth philosopher.
To his extended family, he was
the personification of his favorite
sayings, the three Zs, which are zip,
zest and pizzazz, and the three As,
which are attitude, awareness and
authenticity. Whether he was captaining a family fishing expedition
on his boat Cravin’ It, demonstrating the finer points of wielding a
clam rake, cooking up enough blueberry pancakes to feed an army or
sharing the wisdom of his years
with his grandchildren, he was the
heart and soul of his loving family.

I Chance Bruce Conner (’74
Journ), a novelist, journalist and writing coach, died at his downtown
Denver home in October. He was 58.
Conner, who was starting a new
career as a writing teacher and tutor
at Metropolitan State College and
the Community College of Denver,
published his first novel in 2009.
“Career Killer—A Journalist's
Wild Ride with Scotch, Sex and the
Sundance Kid” examined the rise
and fall of a talented but flawed
reporter covering events that

IN MEMORIAM
I Thomas V. Kelly (’47 Journ), a
native of Washington, D.C., who
worked as a journalist in the city and
served as a community leader for
years, died June 17, 2010, as the result
of a heart attack. He was 86.
Kelly worked for the Washington
Daily News in the 1950s and 1960s.
He covered two presidential administrations (Eisenhower and Kennedy) as
well as the congressional hearings led
by controversial Sen. Joseph
McCarthy.
He was the husband of Marguerite
Kelly, who wrote for The Washington
Post style section and the father of
Michael Kelly, who was killed in 2003
while covering the U.S. invasion of
Iraq for Atlantic Monthly.
In 1965, Kelly became the editor
of a monthly Canadian magazine
and worked as a freelance writer for
publications such as The New York
Times, People magazine and the
Nation. Later in his career, he was a
feature writer for the Washington
Times.
He was a respected and talented
writer, but he was just as well
known as a fixture in the Capitol

Hill neighborhood where he lived
most of his life. In fact, he spent all
but 11 years of his life on the same
block on Constitution Avenue.
Part of that time away was spent
at Penn State, and after he earned
his degree he worked in Louisiana
(at the Baton Rouge State-Times and
New Orleans Item) before returning
to Washington, D.C.
He was well known for writing
annual Christmas plays and casting
neighborhood children to appear in
them. He and his wife were known
for hosting huge parties at their
home, and the residence became a
de-facto community hub.
Kelly was born Aug. 2, 1923. He
graduated from Gonzaga College
High School in Washington, D.C.,
and worked at The Washington Post as
a copy boy before enlisting in the
Navy. During World War II, he
served on the Navy’s last sail-powered ship—the USS Gueinevere, a
triple-masted ship that escorted
ships across the Atlantic Ocean.
At the time of his death, Kelly
was working on a book about the
life and death of his son.

I Wilson L. Barto Sr. (’51 Journ) died Monday, Nov. 1. He was 83. An Army
veteran from World War II, he was survived by his wife, June, as well as his
daughter Gwen (and her husband Brent), his son James (and his wife Susan),
four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Conner himself covered, including
the Oklahoma City bombing trial
and JonBenét Ramsey murder.
Conner was born in 1952 in
Washington, D.C., and moved with
his family to State College, where
he graduated from State College
Area High School and Penn State.
His career as a reporter and editor spanned more than 30 years and
included working at the Pennsylvania
Mirror, Colorado Daily, Boulder Daily
Camera, Rocky Mountain News, USA
Today, Denver Post, Centre Daily Times

58

and Winter Park Manifest.
He left daily journalism to work
as communications director for
three congressional campaigns in
Colorado and to focus on writing
novels. At the time of his death,
Conner was in the final editing
stages of his second novel, “Career
Inferno.”
Conner loved hiking in the
Colorado mountains, dogs of all
varieties, the Colorado Rockies and
Penn State football.

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G